BEIJING, Jan. 13 (Xinhua) -- Beijing is rebuilding an old Catholic church to serve the city's believers, a priest of the Beijing Catholic diocese told Xinhua Tuesday.

    Restoration work on the Changxindian church in the southwest district of Fengtai began on Jan. 6 and will cost about 11 million yuan (1.6 million U.S. dollars), Zhao Qinglong said. Work is scheduled for completion at the end of this year.

    The original church was built in 1911 by a French abbot. It was shut and used as a warehouse in the 1950s.

    The project, funded by the municipal government, would include a rest home for senior citizens, Zhao said. It would be open to both Catholics and the general public.

    A Beijing Religious Bureau official said Tuesday the move was part of the capital's efforts to implement the national policy on religion and protect abandoned religious venues.

    Beijing has 17 Catholic churches and 120,000 worshippers, Zhao said.