Compared to the symbol of Ho Chi Minh City, Duc Ba church is one of Saigon's unique architectures. After many years of catching the wind and fog, this place still retains the same ancient and impressive architecture as it was at first.
1. Introducing Duc Ba Church. Where is Duc Ba Church?
Duc Ba Church is a short name of Notre-Dame Cathedral, officially known as the Immaculate Conception Cathedral Basilica. Where is Duc Ba Church? Duc Ba Church is located in Paris Commune Park, Ben Nghe Ward, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City.
The church has a total length of 91m, a width of 35.5m, the main dome is 21m high and 2 bell towers on both sides are nearly 57m high. Duc Ba church architecture is rich in the ancient architecture of France, built according to the plan of architect J. Bourard. With a wide and open space from the outside to the inside of the cathedral, this place became a symbol of Saigon, a tourist destination for domestic and foreign tourists when setting foot in the city named Uncle.
2. History story
It is one of the prominent religious buildings in the center of Saigon, but not everyone knows the history of Duc Ba church well. What year was Duc Ba Church built?
Stablished by French colonists, the cathedral was constructed between 1863 and 1880. It has two bell towers, reaching a height of over 58 meters (190 feet). Following the French conquest of Cochinchina and Saigon, the Roman Catholic Church established a community and religious services for French colonialists.
The first church was built on Rue 5 (today’s Ngo Duc Ke Street). This had 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.
3. The special architectural style
After more than a century of construction, Notre-Dame Cathedral is still a destination chosen by many tourists when setting foot in Ho Chi Minh City. This unique architecture has many attractions for visitors such as:
3.1. The cathedral inside the church
Inside Notre-Dame Cathedral is a specially designed cathedral with 10 times the capacity to withstand the entire architecture of the building. The interior of the church is designed to consist of 1 main heart, 2 auxiliary hearts, 2 blocks of chapel. The entire cathedral is 93m long, the widest is up to 35m and the height of the dome is 21m. With this area, Duc Ba church inside the cathedral can accommodate up to 1,200 people.
3.2. The Bell Tower of Duc Ba Church
When visiting the church, visitors will be really impressed by the bell tower. This work is likened to the soul of the church. At first, the construction only had 2 bell towers that were 36.6 meters high, without roofs. In 1895, the cathedral built two more domes to cover the bell tower, 21 meters high. Thus, the overall design of the bell tower is 57m high. After that, the work hung 6 more bells including 6 vowels (thumbs, dribs, eyelashes, lipstick, lasis) on 2 bell towers. Every bell has a fine pattern on its face.
3.3. Area of the altars in Duc Ba Church
If going to Notre-Dame Cathedral, visitors should not miss the area of the altars. The altars here are delicately carved with whole marble material. There are 56 colored glass doors that are put together to create an impressive image. All of the outlines, hinges, and patterns of the altar area are Roman and Gothic, both solemn and elegant.
3.4. Park area outside Duc Ba Church
The map of Notre-Dame Cathedral also has an area where young people are very enthusiastic about check-in, which is a park outside the church. At the center of the front of the cathedral is the Madonna of Peace sculpted by G. Ciocchietti in 1959. The statue is 4.6m tall, weighs 8 tons, made of white Italian marble.
3.5. Other highlights in the architecture of Duch Ba Church
The statue of Pigneau de Behaine: Made by the French in 1903. The character of the statue is Bishop Pigneau de Behaine. He brought a boy - Prince Nguyen Phuc Canh (son of King Gia Long). This was considered a symbol of harmony between Catholicism and the Nguyen dynasty at that time. By 1945, the statue was demolished, leaving only the granite pedestal.
The Statue of Our Lady of Peace: After a period of emptying the marble pedestal, until 1958, priest Giuseppe Pham Van Thien placed sculptor G. Ciocchietti sculpting the Madonna of Peace (Italian Carrara stone) here. German statue She was standing upright, holding the earth's fruit, on the earth's cross. German Eye Mother looked up at the sky as if praying for peace for the Vietnamese people.
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4. Interesting experiences visiting the Duc Ba Church
- Visiting the interior of Notre-Dame Cathedral: When visiting, you must take time to see the interior to feel the most clearly the harmony of post-Roman architecture (Romanesque) and orthodox Gothic architecture.
- Check in the full view of Duc Ba Church: whether you're close or far away, front or side, you've got a very nice picture.
- Enjoy sit-down coffee: You can enjoy a fragrant cup of coffee right at the stumps of trees and grass and look at the ancient cathedral.
- Feed pigeons: Playing with cute, friendly pigeons is an experience you shouldn't miss.
- Try the snacks: Street food with fried foods, attractive fruit cakes to soups, delicious spring rolls are always available for you at any time of the day.
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Admission to the church is free. Visitors can go to Duc Ba Church at any time of day, even the evening is still very crowded. However, to get inside, you must arrive on time:
Opening hours of Duc Ba Church: 5:00 to 20:00
Our Lady of the Church:
- Monday to Saturday: 5:30; 17:30
- Sunday: 5:30; 6:45; 8:00; 9:30 (Holy service in English); 16:00; 17:15; 18:30
If you don't participate in the ceremony, you need 90 minutes to 2 hours to tour, take pictures, and enjoy attractive foods here.
Notre-Dame Cathedral is an attractive tourist destination in Ho Chi Minh City that tourists should visit. This place is not only a famous art architecture but also a historical witness of Saigon, has witnessed many changes, changes and development of this young city. Therefore, this place always attracts millions of domestic and foreign tourists every year.
