Basilica of Immaculate Conception, Phu Nhai
| Phu Nhai Cathedral | |
|---|---|
| Basilica of Immaculate Conception, Phu Nhai | |
 | |
| Location | Xuân Trường |
| Country | Vietnam |
| Denomination | Roman Catholic |
| History | |
| Founded | 1866 |
The Basilica of Immaculate Conception is a Gothic style Roman Catholic cathedral located in Xuân Trường, Vietnam.[1]
History
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Bùi Chu has its seat in Xuân Trường District, where Catholicism was first introduced by French missionaries in 1533. The first bishop of the Vietnamese Catholic church, Pierre Lambert de la Motte was also anointed in the diocese in 1670.[2]
The construction of the church began in 1866 after Tự Đức signed a treaty with the French promising not to harm the Christian community. The construction began on a Gothic style church in 1916, and was completed in 1922. Major storms devastated the church on June 24, 1929. A nationwide lottery was conducted to fund the construction of the church and the new cathedral was consecrated on the day of the feast of Immaculate Conception on December 8, 1933. During the First Indochina War, the church suffered minor damages, after the French took over the church. Bishop Dominic Nguyen Chu Trinh decided to renovate the cathedral in 2003, and the cathedral in its present state was consecrated on September 26, 2004. In 2008, the cathedral was elevated as a Minor Basilica.[1][3]
Architecture
The cathedral rises to a height of 30 meters and is flanked by two bell towers each of which are 44 meter long. The bell towers contain 4 bells, each of which weighs two tons.[1]
References
- 1 2 3 "Vietnam's iconic churches". Thanh Niên. Archived from the original on 20 December 2016. Retrieved 12 December 2016.
- ↑ "Nam Dinh – the native land of the Tran Kings". vietnambreakingnews.com. Archived from the original on 20 December 2016. Retrieved 12 December 2016.
- ↑ "Basilica of the Immaculate Conception". gcatholic.org. Archived from the original on 18 December 2016. Retrieved 12 December 2016.
