The St. Michael’s Church is a small Neo-Gothic gem hidden in the former French Legation that was built in 1902 to serve its Catholic community. Walking into the nave of the church with its high, vaulted ceiling you would be forgiven for thinking you had been transported to Paris. The stained glass windows are also beautiful and highly unusual for China. Outside in the courtyard of the church is a grotto dedicated to the Virgin Mary that is beautifully illuminated at night and if you happen to be in Beijing on Christmas, the services here, conducted in Chinese by Chinese priests, are something special.