Vietnam — Nhà Thờ Lớn (St. Joseph's Cathedral), 40 Nha Chung (Nhà Thờ), Hoàn Kiếm, Thành Phố Hà Nội, Hanoi, Vietnam

Has it been abandoned?

September 2015

In my wanderings around Hanoi, I came across Joseph’s Cathedral — Nhà Thờ Lớn (St. Joseph's Cathedral), 40 Nha Chung (Nhà Thờ), Hoàn Kiếm, Thành Phố Hà Nội — which I must admit was a bit of a surprise.

I know that Europe had colonised and had a heavy influence in Southeast Asia. Still, it always surprised me when I encountered such large and potent signs of European religion in a Southeast Asia country.

St Joseph’s was an attractive and slightly oppressive building. The cathedral was massive and clearly in need of some repairs. The outside seemed stained and weatherbeaten. Nonetheless, seeing such a building in Hanoi was still impressive.

The interior building was very well-maintained and stunning. And it was very well kept considering the external condition of the building.

Although the window behind the altar, and the altar itself, were very ornate, the rest of the building was surprisingly plain. I was expecting to see commemorative plaques celebrating the lives of the alleged local good and the great. I was expecting ornate stained-glass windows dedicated to those who had contributed to local society. But there was nothing. Had there ever been? Had it been removed at some point? There was no sign or evidence of any damage resulting from the removal of commemorative material. Still, it struck me as odd that such a grand and ornate building had no plaques or dedicated stained-glass windows.

Around the back of the cathedral was an area that seemed to show some scenes from the Bible, such as the three wise men following the star (seen on the left of the photograph below) and what I can only assume was a scene depicting the cave in which the body of Jesus was placed after the crucifixion.

I found visiting St Joseph’s to be a little odd.

It was an imposing building, but there was also something sad about it. The inside was impressive and well-maintained, yet the outside seemed to need some work. Also, during my visit, I didn’t see a single person inside the cathedral or on its grounds. The place felt abandoned. Very odd.

Foursquare: St. Joseph's Cathedral