The 4th trip to Phát Diệm cathedral

Tuesday morning, 11 November 2008 - I traveled with my parents and their friends to Phát Diệm stone cathedral and Bái Đính pagoda in Ninh Bình province on a one-day trip. This is my 4th visit to Phát Diệm cathedral, which is located in Ninh Bình province, 130km south of Hanoi. It has been long known as one of the most attractive religious and tourist sites in Ninh Bình province. The 4-roofed cathedral was designed by priest Trần Lục (Father Sáu) and built in 1891 with stone in an area also abounding in ponds, grottoes and structures imbued with Oriental religious architecture. It is said that it took only 3 months to build the church, but preparation had taken place 10 years before. Wooden columns and stone blocks were transported by rudimental vehicles from other provinces. Some of the blocks weighed 20 tons.

On my last trip in August 2008, it rained at the site and my photos didn't look bright. This time the weather was great and I had the chance to climb up the top of the highest building at the cathedral and enjoyed the great view of other buildings and villages around the site. The local guide, who is a priest, also opened one of the churches and we could see the stone ceiling and columns, as well as carvings inside it.

Phát Diệm cathedral is one of the interesting sites in Ninh Bình province. To get there from Hanoi, you can rent a car with a local driver, approx US$70, for a day trip to the cathedral and one more site in Ninh Bình province at your request, for example Vân Long nature reserve, Bích Động cave, or Bái Đính pagoda. I also checked the rental car from Ninh Bình city, approx. US$25, for a half day trip to Phát Diệm cathedral.

The photos in this blog were taken on my 2 trips to the cathedral on 31 August and 9 November 2008. As we visited the site on Sunday morning, the roads outside the cathedral were full of the locals walking and cycling after the mass. We also saw some brides and grooms going there to be photographed at the cathedral.

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