Urakami Cathedral (Roman Catholic), stands in the ruins and destruction after the atomic bomb fell on Nagasaki.(01 of04)
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Urakami Cathedral (Roman Catholic), stands in the ruins and destruction after the atomic bomb fell on Nagasaki. (Photo By Bernard Hoffman/The LIFE Premium Collection/Getty Images) (credit:Bernard Hoffman via Getty Images)
Urakami Cathedral(02 of04)
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August 1945: A statue standing in an archway at Urakami Catholic Cathedral looks out across the devastation towards Chinzei Mission School in the distance, after the U.S. atomic bombing of Nagasaki, Japan, on August 9, 1945, during World War II (1939-1945). View from inside the archway of the church. (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images) (credit:Hulton Archive via Getty Images)
Atomic Bomb Nagasaki(03 of04)
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Urakami Tenshud (St. Mary's Cathedral), the ruins of a Roman catholic church located in Motoomachi, Nagasaki. 7th January 1946. The atomic bomb that was dropped on Nagasaki on August 9, 1945 detonated in Urakami only 500 m (1640 ft) from the cathedral, completely destroying it. Photo: Aihara Hidetsugu.Nagasaki, Japan. (Photo By Galerie Bilderwelt/Getty Images) (credit:Galerie Bilderwelt via Getty Images)
Remains of a Church in Nagasaki(04 of04)
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(Original Caption) Urakami Roman Catholic Church, located on the side of a hill near the center of A-bomb explosion, was a total loss and completely destroyed except for a portion of the front wall. More than 8,000 of the people killed by the bomb were Catholics. Four fifths of the Catholic believers in Nagasaki were killed. Today there are 4,600 Catholics in the city compared with 10,000 before the bombing. Father Joe Nakashima, the cathedral priest for the past two years, is pictured holding a service in the arch way of the remains of the old structure. A new frame church was recently completed beside the remains of the old structure. (credit:Bettmann via Getty Images)