Coming to Nha Trang – Khanh Hoa province, in addition to rest and admire the great sights, visitors also have the opportunity to explore the historical monuments, cultural buildings with unique architecture. Nha Trang Cathedral also is known as Mountain Church, belongings to the Diocese of Nha Trang.
1. Location
Nha Trang Cathedral is located on Thai Nguyen Street, adjacent to the center of Nha Trang City. Church is also near Khanh Hoa train station, about 600m. Situated on a small hill next to the six intersections, center of Nha Trang city, Cathedral is a place to attract many visitors. Nha Trang Cathedral has many names, also called Nha Trang Mountain Church, Nha Trang stone Church, but the church’s official name is Cathedral King Christ.
2. Process of building Nha Trang Cathedral
The church was built on September 3, 1928. In the past, this was a wild land, when the French came to Nha Trang to cut the mountains of Hon Mot into two parts. The western half of the mountain was flattened by 500 mines (dynamite) to accommodate 4,500 square meters of church space. In December 1941, the work was completed and the name of the Mountain Church was also from there.
From a distance, many people mistakenly think that this massive building was built with split stone, but in fact, the stone was used only for road paving and yard construction. All the walls of the church are built of cement piles. Father Louis Vallet and his associates directly molded these blocks. In particular, only the flat part of the corridor running along both sides was poured on reinforced concrete, and the whole roof of the chapel was used with bamboo sticks and trellis.
3. A beautiful gothic architecture
The mount Church with Gothic architectural style with 3 distinct parts, the bottom is the door, the middle is the round window with colored glass is decorated with roses; the top part is the corridor and two bell towers. The unique feature of the church is the bronze bell hanging on the bell tower. These are the bells made by the famous bell manufacturer Bourdon Carillond of France and provided. During a visit in February 1933, King Bao Dai visited when the work was being completed. At that time, the cast bronze cast in France was suspended on a wooden tower. The first bell sounded at flat E (Mi) note blesssed on July 29, 1934, the other two with sound C(Do) note and A (La) were blessed in 1939. On the bell tower also attached a big clock, 4 sides turn in 4 directions.
Most prominent of the Mountain Church is the interior of Cathedral. Step through the door, we will encounter a vast space, wide and full of light. The most striking feature of the Gothic architecture is its large, arched in the sky. Decorative patterns use straight lines, arranged in harmony, creating dignified but simple beauty. The 14 stations (the passion of Jesus) are imitated by wall paintings. Besides, to effectively exploit the sunshine of East and West, designers have put many kinds of green, red glass into the arches, rose windows. All have created a beautiful and gentle scene, soothing the solemn atmosphere that is often found in places of worship. The sanctuary is an open space, the stained glass paintings here make up the brilliant and luxurious.
Mountain church has been in Nha Trang for more than 80 years. Looking back from away, this place is like an ancient Roman castle. Standing on the top of the mount (hill), with a gray ash, this construction is still solid, with a long standing before the rain and frost.
Nha Trang Cathedral (Mountain Church) has a very important position, people come here to pray God bless. In addition, many couples choose this place to hold a wedding, certification for the sublimation, the fruit of love. This is also the favorite address of tourists when coming to Nha Trang – Khanh Hoa. Besides sightseeing, admire the unique architecture, tourists will have a very comfortable and peaceful moments when they watch the poetic of Nha Trang cathedral.
