Saigon Notre-Dame Basilica, Gothic cathedral in Ben Nghe Ward, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
The Cathedral Basilica of Our Lady of The Immaculate Conception is a red brick church with two bell towers in the center of Ho Chi Minh City. The building follows Romanesque Revival forms with rounded arches and colored glass windows from France.
The colonial administration started construction in 1863 and completed it in 1880, shipping building material such as red bricks from Toulouse by sea. In 1962, Pope John XXIII granted the structure basilica status, an honor held by only a few churches in Vietnam.
The church carries the Vietnamese name Nhà Thờ Đức Bà Sài Gòn and serves worshippers as a gathering point for Sunday services and religious holidays. On the square in front stands a statue of Mary, around which visitors and locals gather for prayer.
The entrance is located on Paris Commune Square near the Central Post Office and Independence Palace in the city center. Visitors can view the building from the outside or step inside during opening hours, with modest clothing expected.
All bricks for the outer walls were shipped unplastered from Toulouse and retain their original reddish color after more than a century. The two towers were originally fitted with bells also cast in French foundries.
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