Notre-Dame Cathedral Basilica of Saigon

사이공 노트르담 성당

Saigon's French colonial cathedral, built in 1877–1880 to designs by J. Bourard with red bricks brought from Toulouse. Twin bell towers, 60.5 m to the crosses on their spires added in 1895, frame a gabled front with a rose window and a clock.

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At a glance

Country: Vietnam
Location: Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
Built: 1880
Height: 60.5 m
Type: Religious building

Quick answers

Where is Notre-Dame Cathedral Basilica of Saigon?

Notre-Dame Cathedral Basilica of Saigon is in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.

When was Notre-Dame Cathedral Basilica of Saigon built?

Notre-Dame Cathedral Basilica of Saigon was built in 1880.

How tall is Notre-Dame Cathedral Basilica of Saigon?

Notre-Dame Cathedral Basilica of Saigon is about 60.5 m tall.

Notre-Dame Cathedral Basilica of Saigon is a Catholic cathedral in the centre of Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. French colonial authorities built it between 1877 and 1880, and its Gothic Revival look and bright red walls make it one of the city's best-known sights.

Two bell towers rise from the front. The cathedral is 58 metres tall to the top of the towers, and 60.5 metres to the tips of the crosses added on top of each tower later. It was first called the Church of Saigon, and has been known as Notre-Dame since 1959, when a statue of Our Lady of Peace was set in front of it.

Built from France

After the first, wooden church was damaged by termites, a design contest was held and J. Bourard won, then supervised the building. The first stone was laid on 7 October 1877. Building materials were shipped from France. The outer bricks came from Toulouse and kept their bright red colour, and roof tiles are marked with the name of a maker in Marseille.

Recent history

In 1962 Pope John XXIII gave the cathedral the status of a basilica. In 2005 a statue in front was reported to have shed a tear, and crowds gathered, though church leaders could not confirm it. The basilica has been under renovation since 2017. The statue of Our Lady of Peace, made of granite in Rome, arrived in Saigon on 16 February 1959. The earlier bronze statue of Bishop Pigneau de Behaine, made in France, had been removed in 1945, leaving only its base, and the new statue was placed on that base.

Fun facts

Its red bricks were shipped all the way from Toulouse, France.
The bricks of the outer wall were shipped all the way from France and still look bright red.
The crosses on top of the towers are 3.5 metres high and weigh 600 kilograms each.
The cathedral only began to be called Notre-Dame in 1959.