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Built
A Gothic Revival cathedral that echoes Notre Dame de Paris
Construction began in 1884 in a style resembling Notre Dame de Paris. The church opened in December 1886 as one of the first structures built by the colonial government of French Indochina, and is the oldest church in Hanoi.
The site
It was built on the site of a pagoda that had collapsed in 1542
To make room for the church, the ruins of an old pagoda were cleared. The pagoda dated from the founding of the city in the 11th century and had collapsed in 1542, never to be repaired. The cathedral was consecrated on December 24, 1886.
The towers
Two square towers hold five bells each, over a rib-vaulted nave
The front has two square towers, each fitted with five bells, in granite stone slabs. The stained glass windows were produced in France, and the ceiling is rib-vaulted like those seen in medieval Europe.
Closed
After 1954 the cathedral was closed until Christmas Eve of 1990
After the Viet Minh took control of North Vietnam in 1954, the Catholic Church suffered decades of persecution. Priests were arrested and church property was seized. The cathedral was closed until Christmas Eve of 1990, when Mass was permitted there again.
Day 5, midday
It comes after Hoa Lo Prison. Then Hanoi Opera House.
More stories from this trip idea
The words are a retelling of the Wikipedia article St. Joseph's Cathedral, Hanoi, and are shared under CC BY-SA 4.0. They are checked against those articles, and a fact that is not in them is left out.