The Genesis of Panduranga Gallery
The people of Vietnam have always been predominately Buddhist. During the period of Christian colonization many Catholic missionaries came to Northern Vietnam to spread the word of Christ and save the souls of the peasants and fishermen by converting them to Catholicism. Among the very first converts were my ancestors.
In 1954, at the end of the century of French colonization in Vietnam, my grandparents and my family moved to the central region, leaving the North and more than 300 years of Catholic roots behind. Our Catholic history begins in Quan Phuong, which in the 16th century was named Quan Anh, in the Hai Hau district of Nam Dinh Province. Quan Anh was mentioned in the Resume of Vietnamese History as one of the first places to have been evangelized by foreign missionaries as early as 1533. A century later, in 1638, Father Morelli came to Quan Anh to establish a parish. This is where the faith and history of my family began.
I was born in Saigon and grew up in the south of Vietnam, never venturing to the North to glimpse the home of my ancestors. However, my childhood was filled with stories of the Catholic North with its glorious architecture and Christian rites and rituals. Both of my parents have long since past but these stories have left me with many vivid memories of the beautiful old churches that occupy the landscape from our long ago departed home.
In 1954, at the end of the century of French colonization in Vietnam, my grandparents and my family moved to the central region, leaving the North and more than 300 years of Catholic roots behind. Our Catholic history begins in Quan Phuong, which in the 16th century was named Quan Anh, in the Hai Hau district of Nam Dinh Province. Quan Anh was mentioned in the Resume of Vietnamese History as one of the first places to have been evangelized by foreign missionaries as early as 1533. A century later, in 1638, Father Morelli came to Quan Anh to establish a parish. This is where the faith and history of my family began.
I was born in Saigon and grew up in the south of Vietnam, never venturing to the North to glimpse the home of my ancestors. However, my childhood was filled with stories of the Catholic North with its glorious architecture and Christian rites and rituals. Both of my parents have long since past but these stories have left me with many vivid memories of the beautiful old churches that occupy the landscape from our long ago departed home.
My parents love for these ecclesiastical monuments and of Asian Christian art have always been a central theme of my early childhood memories. Catholicism and art, mostly Christian themes, were ever present in my youth. We had some small, early Christian statues at the private altar in our home. These statues were delicate and very finely crafted evoking an atmosphere of devotion (See History of Polychrome Wood Statues in Vietnam). Even as a child, these statues instilled not only a Christian devotion and a love for art but a desire to travel north to visit my Catholic roots.
For the most part, the Christian churches of the South are very different from the European style cathedrals built in the North. There are some similarities but the differences stand out in contrast. Most of the southern churches are from a different era and are similar to Christian structures found in other countries of Southeast Asia. The majority of these southern churches were built in the 20th century with architecture that does not follow any European theme. Many of them have been redecorated after the war and have also been changed during the past decades of unification (since 1975). There is little resident in these structures to instill the devotion of parishioners. However, this is not a rule and there are certainly some wonderful exceptions. For example, arguably the most beautiful cathedral in the south is the Notre Dame Basilica of Saigon (Nha tho Duc Ba Sai Gon) which can be seen in the pictures below. It is very French and quite marvelous. This structure, in the heart of present day Saigon, is neo-Romanesque and even the renovations have not diminished its emotional component. However, this is just one southern cathedral and to see a number of truly magnificent structures you have to travel to the North.
For the most part, the Christian churches of the South are very different from the European style cathedrals built in the North. There are some similarities but the differences stand out in contrast. Most of the southern churches are from a different era and are similar to Christian structures found in other countries of Southeast Asia. The majority of these southern churches were built in the 20th century with architecture that does not follow any European theme. Many of them have been redecorated after the war and have also been changed during the past decades of unification (since 1975). There is little resident in these structures to instill the devotion of parishioners. However, this is not a rule and there are certainly some wonderful exceptions. For example, arguably the most beautiful cathedral in the south is the Notre Dame Basilica of Saigon (Nha tho Duc Ba Sai Gon) which can be seen in the pictures below. It is very French and quite marvelous. This structure, in the heart of present day Saigon, is neo-Romanesque and even the renovations have not diminished its emotional component. However, this is just one southern cathedral and to see a number of truly magnificent structures you have to travel to the North.
I was determined to travel to Northern Vietnam to see if I could refresh my many childhood memories and refurbish the stories of my mother and father. This desire would eventually lead me to the region where the first Catholic missionaries visited during the 16th century. The cathedrals left behind by these missionaries and their devoted followers contrast starkly with the surrounding landscape. These cathedrals stand between the rice fields and the dirt roads, on a small slice of Europe in rural Vietnam (As seen in the above pictures). These churches are European in design from Romanesque to Gothic and Baroque. To understand these styles is to retrace the history of Catholicism between the 16th to 19th centuries. Regardless of the fact that many of these wonderful structures were destroyed by neglect, war and persecution (as seen in the last picture above), there are still many wonderful examples remaining today. The majority of the remaining cathedrals were built during the period of 1800-1930 which is considered to be the most stable period of Catholicism in Vietnam.