St. Joseph Cathedral
Neo-Gothic twin-towered cathedral built on an ancient pagoda site, funded by a colonial-era lottery.
Location
About this audio guide
This guide to St. Joseph Cathedral traces how Bishop Paul-Francois Puginier funded its construction in the 1880s, running lotteries whose prizes were carved Vietnamese furniture later auctioned in Europe, on a site that had held a pagoda since the Ly dynasty. The twin towers that rose in their place, echoing Notre Dame in Paris, were consecrated on Christmas Day of 1886. Look up at the stained glass, made in France and shipped here for the opening.
This audio guide was created using AI.
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