Notre Dame Cathedral is one of the most popular attractions in Ho Chi Minh because of unique religious architecture. It is a magnificent building located at the Paris Square in Ho Chi Minh City downtown, attracting not only Catholics but also most tourists for its neo-Romanesque style architecture and a sacred atmosphere.
Read more Notre Dame Cathedral is one of the most popular attractions in Ho Chi Minh because of unique religious architecture. It is a magnificent building located at the Paris Square in Ho Chi Minh City downtown, attracting not only Catholics but also most tourists for its neo-Romanesque style architecture and a sacred atmosphere.
Saigon Notre-dame Cathedral was established by French colonists, the cathedral was constructed between 1863 and 1880. The first church was built on Rue 5 (today’s Ngo Ke Duc Street). This as been a Vietnamese pagoda. , which had been abandoned during the war. Bishop Lefevre decided to make this pagoda a church. In 1959, Bishop Joseph Pham Van Thien, whose jurisdiction included Saigon parish, attended Holy Mother Congress held in Vatican and ordered a Peaceful Notre Dame statue made with granite in Rome.
When the statue arrived in Saigon, on February 16th, 1959, Bishop Pham Van Thien held a ceremony to install the statue on the empty base and presented the title of "Regina Pacis". It was Bishop Pham Van Thien who wrote the prayers "Notre-Dame bless the peace to Vietnam". On the following day, Cardinal Aganianian came from Rome to chair the closing ceremony of the Holy Mother Congress and solemnly chaired the ceremony for the statue, thus the cathedral was then-on called Notre-Dame Cathedral
Apart from the religious meaning that attracts tourists, the even more special captivating point of Notre-Dame Cathedral is its special neo-Romanesque style of architecture. During its construction, all its red bricks were imported from Marseilles and colored glass windows made in France’s Chartres Province, France. There are 56 glass squares supplied by the Lorin firm of Chartres province in France. The cathedral foundation was designed to bear 10 times the weight of the cathedral. In front of the cathedral is a statue of the Virgin Mary.
The total cost of 2,500,000 French francs (the price at that time) was covered by the Governor of Cochinchina. Therefore, at the beginning, the cathedral was called “State Cathedral” as a reflection of the source of the construction fund. In 1895, two bell towers were added to the cathedral, each 57.6 m high with six bronze bells with a total weight of 28.85 metric tons. The crosses installed on the top of each tower were 3.5 m high, 2 m wide and weighed 600 kg. the total height of the cathedral to the top of the Cross is 60.5 m.
Notre Dame Cathedral is officially open to visitors between the hours of 8:am and 11:am in the morning and 3:pm and 4:pm in the afternoons. There are reports however that this can be a little sporadic. If the front entrance isn’t open, try the door around the left side (facing Reunification Palace. English speaking staff sometimes dispense tourist information from 9-11:am. The church is free to visit but of course donations are most welcome.
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