The Phat Diem Catholic Cathedral Of North Vietnam -- A Masterpiece Of Art

The church dates back to the 1870s and is the Center of Catholicism in the Northern Region.

The church was built between 1875 and 1898 in the province’s Kim Son District by the Vietnamese priest Tran Luc known as Father Sau, who designed the church without any training in architecture or painting. The most remarkable feature of the Cathedral is that it is made with marble and granite. 

Therefore, it is also known as the Stone Church. The church also includes a complex including several artificial lakes, churches, and artificial caves.

The church design has made it famous, because it is different from other Roman Catholic Cathedrals across the world. The design is a harmonious combination of traditional pagoda architecture of 

Vietnam mixed with the Gothic style of Catholic Architecture. 

The unique building also shows the skillful techniques of Vietnamese artisans since the 19th century.

In front of the church, overlooking a huge pond, where a larger than life-sized marble statue of the Sacred Heart stands upon a man-made island, the upturned tiled roofs of the bell tower’s three belvederes soar even higher than the church.

The 25m-high bell tower is an imposing stone structure made from large marble blocks with a -bas-relief representing Jesus and his followers. In the middle floor, there is a huge drum, while on the top floor there is a two-tonne bronze bell, which was cast in 1890s. According to local people, the bell’s echo can be heard across three neighbouring regions. 

The remains of Father Sau, who died in the same year as the complex was finished in 1898, lie under an inscribed slab at the base of the tower.

The Grand Cathedral is designed as a grandiose Communal House with four roofs and six sets of pillars formed from whole iron trees and sophisticated multi-level rafters. All the church buildings are decorated with lotus, birds, and tropical tree designs. 

The Stone Church is divided into two sections: the church and the clergy house. Everything was built gradually over the years. 

In 1875, the first Cavern was built to test the strength of the foundation. In 1889, the church of Saint Mary’s Heart was erected. 

Then in 1891, the Grand Cathedral and the Belfry were completed. And finally, the Saints’ shrines were finished around 1898. These three stone caves are in the extreme north of the complex, of which Lo Duc is the most beautiful.