Cua Bac Church

Cua Bac Church
Nhà thờ Cửa Bắc
South facade of the church with the statue of the Virgin Mary
21°02′29″N 105°50′27″E / 21.041368°N 105.840708°E / 21.041368; 105.840708
Location	Hanoi
Country	Vietnam
Denomination	Catholic Church
History
Former name(s)	Eglise des Martyrs (Church of Martyrs)
Authorising papal bull	1932
Architecture
Architect(s)	Ernest Hébrard

Cua Bac Church (Vietnamese: Nhà thờ Cửa Bắc) is a Roman Catholic church in Hanoi, Vietnam. Originally named as Church of Martyrs (French: Eglise des Martyrs), the church was built in 1932 by the French administration as a part of the Hanoi's urban plan supervised by Ernest Hébrard. Today, Cua Bac Church is one of the three major churches of Hanoi, together with Ham Long Church and Saint Joseph Cathedral. In November, 2006, the Cua Bac Catholic Church became the venue of joint worship service of the Vietnamese Catholics and Protestants with participation of the United States President George W. Bush, who was on an official visit to Vietnam.

History

George W. Bush and Laura Bush in their visit to Cua Bac Church.

In the early 1930s, the French architect Ernest Hébrard began his urban plan to redesign the city of Hanoi, as a part of this plan, a new Roman Catholic church named Church of Martyrs was built in front of the Northern Gate (Cửa Bắc) of the ancien Hanoi Citadel in 1932.^[1] Because of its location, the church was more commonly known as Cua Bac Church. Ernest Hébrard designed Cua Bac Church in eclectic style with strong influence of Art Deco decoration,^[2] he also integrated in the Catholic Church some elements of the traditional architecture in Vietnam such as the system of roof tiles and the harmony between the main architecture with its surrounding green space. For that reason, Cua Bac Church is considered a fine example for the mixed style between European and Vietnamese architectures.

Today, Cua Bac Church is one of the three major churches of Hanoi, together with Ham Long Church and Saint Joseph Cathedral.^[3] In November 2006, Cua Bac Church was chosen the venue of a joint congregation of the Vietnamese Catholics and Protestants with participation of the United States President George W. Bush, who was on an official visit to Vietnam.^[4][5] After the service, the President remarked: "Laura and I just had a moment to converse with God in a church here in Hanoi. We were touched by the simplicity and the beauty of the moment. We appreciate very much the congregation for allowing us to come and worship with them."^[6]

References

1. ^ Guillaume, Xavier (in French). La Terre du Dragon Tome 1. Editions Publibook. p. 240. ISBN 2748324501. 
2. ^ Logan, William Stewart (2000). Hanoi: biography of a city. UNSW Press. p. 101. ISBN 0868404438. 
3. ^ "Hanoi and its churches sparkle splendidly for Christmas". Vietnamnet.vn. 2009-12-24. 
4. ^ McGeown, Kate (2006-11-19). "Bush's church visit rewards Vietnam". BBC. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/6163806.stm. 
5. ^ "US President to pay longest visit to Vietnam". Vietnamnet.vn. 2006-11-06. 
6. ^ "President Bush Attends Church Service in Vietnam". Georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov. 2006-11-19. http://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/news/releases/2006/11/20061119.html.