Hanoi Cathedral is one of the earliest Christian buildings built in the capital and is being renovated.
The Cathedral of Hanoi, or St. Joseph Cathedral, was designed in the European Gothic style, influenced by the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris (France). The main building materials are terracotta bricks, terracotta roof tiles, walls plastered with mache. The church has a length of 64.5m, a width of 20.5m and two bell towers 31.5m high. The building has an opposite facade layout, divided into 3 parts. Two sides are two soaring bell towers, in the middle is a lower block that is terminated by a triangular wall top with a crucifix forming the highlight. Most of the doors and windows on the main façade use the typical Gothic arched form. Particularly in the middle part there is a round flower-shaped window, above and below the cross there is a round clock face. According to the percentile and the door system on the façade, the two bell tower blocks on both sides are 5 floors high and the middle block is 3 floors high. The window and door decorations on the façade are in the form of Gothique but are moderate, not too fussy or cumbersome. Over 100 years with the vicissitudes of time and war, the Cathedral still exists and is a center of Catholic activity in the capital and surrounding areas. Currently, the Cathedral is being renovated and repainted. Most of the renovation work has been completed, the walls inside and behind the Cathedral have been repainted. As for the facade of the work, currently scaffolding and safety nets are being erected for the workers to work. In general, the building has the European Gothic style, but has a combination with indigenous architecture, reflected in the terracotta tile roof system, the interior decoration system with bold Vietnamese traditions. And therefore, it is a product of the very unique East-West cultural exchange. The work is considered a typical church architecture, and is one of the most beautiful Catholic churches in Hanoi and the whole country. The Cathedral is also a work marking a special stage of urban development of Hanoi and is a typical architecture of the capital. The inner wall of the Cathedral has been repainted with a new color, bringing the main gray tone. Originally, the church was named “Saint Joseph Cathedral” (Saint Joseph is the adoptive father of Jesus). Currently, the project is located at 40 Nha Chung Street, Hanoi, adjacent to the Archbishop of Hanoi and many other Catholic institutions. The two church bell towers have a set of bells consisting of 5 bells, with 1 large bell and 4 small ones, which are connected to the clock to tell the time. In front of the church, there is a small square with a statue of Our Lady, which adds to the landscape value of the building. The new church building on the old pagoda was built by the Catholic Church with bricks to replace the old wooden architecture, between 1884-1886, in the context of Hanoi’s transformation into a new western-style urban area. West. The building was inaugurated at Christmas 1887.
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