Basilica of the Immaculate Conception, Phu Nhai (also known as Phu Nhai Church) is located in the center of Xuan Phuong commune, Xuan Truong district, Nam Dinh province, more than 1 km away from Xuan Truong town. It is one of the largest churches and well known in Vietnam.
An original wooden made church and was built during 1866, right after King Tu Duc signed the decree with the French promising not to harm the Christian community, in the time nearly three centuries implementing the religious prohibition strictly.
Then, the church was restored and rebuilt several times due to natural disasters and historical factors. In 1930, the church was rebuilt again, completed and dedicated to the sanctuary on the feast of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception. December 8, 1933
The church was heavily damaged after Vietnam Wars. The church was renovated by Bishop Dominica Nguyen Chu Trinh from March 2003 until September 2004. Phu Nhai church was elevated to the rank of Minor Basilica in 2008.
The original church was designed according to the Gothic of Spanish-style and it was renovated in the Gothic style of France. The church was raised 30 meters of height and two bell towers was built with 44m height to contain 4 bells each of them weighs around two tons.
In front of the church, we can see St. Dominic’s tower 17m of height including status with height of 2.3m on the right. On the left, there is a tomb of 83 martyrs of the Phu Nhai parish with 15m high above the ground.
Visiting the Phu Nhai church, visitors not only admire a mighty construction created by the faith of poor Christians, but also have the opportunity to stand on the bell towers to enjoy the panoramic view of the Phu Nha village with enormous green rice field and curved blue river like embracing the gentle people in Phu Nha. This beauty reveals its appeal to those who desires seeing it.
If visitors are Catholic, and you are conducting pilgrimage to the holy land where the first missionaries evangelized for Vietnamese people about the year 1530s, King of Le Trang Ton period. Here also is the land where Vietnamese martyrs shaded their blood, especially, that here is the homeland of the six martyrs of Vietnam: Vincent LIEM, Vincent YEN, Dominic DAT, Thomas DU, Dominic MAU, Joseph TUAN who were canonized by Pope John Paul II on June 19, 1988.
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