Phat Diem Cathedral

For a long time, Phat Diem Stone Cathedral has not only been a place for common spiritual and cultural activities of parishioners in the Kim Son area, but also a unique architectural work that attracts tourists from near and far to visit and admire the architecture. threshold. Because this is not only a harmonious and unique combination of Eastern and Western architectural art, but also a miracle that our ancestors left behind for future generations. Phat Diem Stone Church was built in the late 19th century by Phat Diem Parish Priest Peter Tran Luc (also known as Uncle Sau) - who was appointed as Phat Diem Parish Priest in 1865 after many years of research and completion of the outline. draw up plans and concentrate financial and material resources. The church is made of mainly stone and wood. On each stone and wooden slab, flowers bloom with exquisite carvings. Most notably, the art of stone sculpture is extremely soft and flexible, with pieces of stone only 3.5cm thick. The entire architectural complex consists of 9 rafters with 9 different stages of workers, so each rafters has a distinct cultural feature, reflecting the rich aesthetics of skilled craftsmen. Furthermore, the church was built entirely of stone without the need for a reinforced concrete core. The most difficult part of this project is the foundation treatment. Because Kim Son is inherently a muddy alluvial land, Parish Priest Peter Tran Luc had to exploit and transport thousands of tons of stone from a mountain in Thanh Hoa to prevent subsidence, including blocks of stone weighing up to 20 kg. ton. At the same time, Mr. Luc also exploited and transported hundreds of ironwood trees from Nghe An mountain forests to build the project. However, what makes cultural researchers and architects fascinated about the Phat Diem Cathedral complex is the harmonious combination of Eastern pagoda architecture with Western Gothic architecture. Mr. Sau is the one who designed and created the church with extremely new details. It could also be because he was not a Christian but a Buddhist, so in his design, he had a very ingenious combination of Western church architecture and curved roof architecture like that of a communal house. in Buddhism. The artistic quintessence at Phat Diem stone church also clearly demonstrates the harmony between stone carving art and Vietnamese wood carving art, such as the symbol of the cross (symbol of Catholicism) sitting on the lotus (symbol of the Catholic religion). Buddhist symbols), Buddhist "swastika" letters engraved on rosary flowers, stone and wood reliefs carved with images of Jesus and saints; In which the saints dressed in Vietnamese style look so vivid but close, as familiar as watching folk paintings; The stone pillar carved in the shape of a lotus flower represents the stages of "birth - old age - illness - death" according to Buddhist philosophy. Even more impressive is the Church of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, which is made entirely of stone, with a dazzling gilded sanctuary with many delicate and elaborate patterns and carvings but still creating a gentle feeling. peaceful because of its simple and familiar design according to the Eastern philosophy of "the sky is round, the earth is square". There is also a Bible verse carved into stone in early Vietnamese. It can be said that Phat Diem Stone Cathedral is an interference, a harmonious and sophisticated combination of Western church architecture and traditional Eastern architecture. Catholicism brings faith to people, but the architectural style and worship space with images of communal houses and pagodas are deeply ingrained in the subconscious of Asians in general and Vietnamese people in particular, creating peace and protection, this is also a symbol of the meeting between Catholicism and the religious traditions of the Vietnamese people from a very early age.

Ninh Binh 1530 view From January to December

Ngày cập nhật : 12/03/2023