Ho Chi Minh City is a beautiful South-Asian metropolis and if you ask anyone for the city’s most iconic landmark they’d either say the Ben Thanh Market or the Notre-Dame Cathedral Basilica of Saigon.
Brief History
After the French conquered Cochinchina and Saigon they began to establish communities as well as religious services for the French colonialists. The cathedral was built by colonists between 1863 and 1880. It was named the Notre-Dame Cathedral after Bishop Pham Van Thien had a statue of Peaceful Notre Dame built and carried out a service.
Design and Beauty
This cathedral was considered as the most magnificent of all the cathedrals of the various colonies. It was built utilising French materials, and the cathedral’s looming bell-towers were met with awe by the populace. If you’re staying at service apartments in Ho Chi Minh City nearby, such as Somerset Chancellor Court Ho Chi Minh City, be sure to check out the cathedral.
Status as a Basilica
Although this was initially labelled as ‘Saigon Chief Cathedral’, during the time of Pope John XXIII, he later altered the status of it to Saigon Notre-Dame Cathedral Basilica.
The Statue’s Tears
In October 2005, a famous event occurred where a claim was made that the Virgin Mary statue located in front of the cathedral was shedding tears. This caused a crowd so large to gather around the temple that the police had to take action. According to witnesses, the tear flowed down the right cheek of the statue’s face.
Roland Lefevre is a travel writer who specializes in creating features on leisure as well as business travel destinations across the globe. Google+
