Ky Dong Church (Official Name: Temple of Our Lady of Perpetual Help or Church of Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer) is located at 38 Ky Dong, Ward 9, District 3, Ho Chi Minh City. The church was built in 1949 and completed in 1952. The work impresses with the triangle blocks and semicircular door arches, especially the statue of Our Lady of Perpetual Help – the patron saint of the church. Inside the church is simple but still exudes solemnity. In the church’s campus, there is the rock cave of Eve Maria and the mini scene of Saint Alphonso, who founded Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer. The church is said is a peaceful and sacred place.
History
Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer of the World came to Vietnam in 1925 and Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer of Saigon was founded in 1933. Its mission was preaching Good News to the poor, promoting devotion Our Lady of Perpetual Help and opening Happy Weeks. The first house chosen as Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer monastery was a building at 163 Paul Blanchy Street, near Tan Dinh Church. It was donated by a moral woman. In 1937, the Congregation bought a 2-hectare plot of land in District 3 which was liquidated by the Indochina bank to build a new monastery. The monastery was built in 1938, completed in 1940 and put into operation. After that, the Temple of Our Lady of Perpetual Help was established next to the Monastery.
Because the number of people who came to Our Lady more and more crowed, the priests thought of building a new, more spacious church. The new church (The church that exists until today) was built in 1949 and inaugurated on August 3, 1952. Priest Reverend Beliemare (1946 – 1953) was the one who started building and inaugurated this Church. The Building cost was 5,000,000 (five million) French Indochinese piastre. After 30 years in Saigon, in 1963 the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer founded Parish called Our Lady of Perpetual Help and organized the Parish into Our Lady of Perpetual Help Pilgrimage Center. Our Lady of Perpetual Help Parish is said to be a young Parish compared to the other Parish in Saigon Diocese.
Architecture
The church is located in a spacious campus with many green trees. Different from other churches, Ky Dong church has a combination between ancient architectural style and modern one. The sides of the church do not have elaborate decorative motifs. However, the work still impresses with the triangle blocks and semicircular door arches. The simplicity of decoration highlights the statue of Our Lady of Perpetual Help, the patron saint of the church, placed on the two main arches. The interior space of the church is very open because there are no rows of heavy columns that block the viewing angle. High windows bring light to fill the cathedral during the day. Although the church has a simple architectural style, it still exudes a solemnity. In addition to the main building, in the church campus, there is also the rock cave of Eve Maria and the Saint Alphonso mini scene. All create a peaceful holy land.
Source: dulich.laodong.vn
Source: giaoxugiaohoivietnam.com
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