Churches in Hanoi

I visited two churches in Hanoi. There aren't many non-Buddhist / Taoist places of worship in Hanoi, for obvious reasons. 

One was St. Joseph's Cathedral, the oldest in the city. It was built by the French in 1886 supposedly styled after the famous Notre Dame in Paris. It's located in the midst of a bustling shopping area near Hoan Kiem Lake with a number of cafes, restaurants, shops surrounding it. 

The facade of the cathedral looked unimpressive even though it was of imposing proportions. But once I entered the cathedral, it was a whole different matter. Richly carved altars and beautiful stained glass peppered the interiors. 

The imposing facade of St. Joseph's Cathedral

The little square in front of the church with a statue
of Mary & baby Jesus. The inscription reads
'Regina Pacis' (Queen of Peace)

A view from the side - one of the two towers & another statue

Interior of the cathedral

The main altar

An altar on the left side, inside the cathedral

An altar on the right side, inside the cathedral

Beautiful stained glass windows

Some more pretty stained glass

Interesting features outside the cathedral - a mural
depicting scenes from the holy scriptures. Also seen is Vietnam's
ubiquitous jumble of wires. Below: An old, beautiful bonsai.

A pretty French-colonial style building in the cathedral
premises. Probably, the administrative offices and/ or
residence of the officials of the cathedral.

The second was the picturesque Cua Bac Church. It was built in 1932 by the French under the supervision of renowned architect and urban planner Ernest Hébrard.The church is located at the Northern Gate (Cua Bac) of the ancient Thang Long citadel hence its name. Unlike St. Joseph's Cathedral, this church has a prettier exterior but a simpler, roomier interior full of light and space.

The church facade, bright & welcoming

Interior - simple & calming

The main altar

Stained glass of Biblical figures in the church.
There were a only a few as compared to
St. Joseph's Cathedral.

Play of light & shadow on the pristine white walls

One of the murals in the Stations of the Cross

Grotto surrounded by greenery & covered
with flowering vines 

Two views of the prominent window in the church facade

More ageless bonsai

Houses from a bygone era

Dakshinachitra - the famous heritage centre in Chennai showcases the traditions of Southern India - including performing arts, crafts, architecture and visual arts. Set up by the Madras Crafts Foundation on a ten acre piece of land, Dakshinachitra opened to the public in 1996. It's a  popular place for people wanting to get a quick dekko into the traditions of the South. 

To properly tour the centre, that is if you're really interested in traditional architecture and arts, it will take at least 4-5 hours. I spent around 2 hrs there and managed to see just a fraction of the displays. 

The place is large and rambling with prominent signage which tells you the state you are visiting. Dakshinachitra has managed to relocate numerous traditional houses from their original locations and restored and reconstructed them within their premises. Among the ones I saw were houses from Thirunelveli, Chettinad, a muslim house from Chikmagalur and a Syrian Christian house from Kerala. But there are more, many more for which a repeat visit is a must (note to myself!)

Columns in the house from Chettinad

Intricate doorway of the house from Chettinad

Antique wooden chest inside the Chettinad-style house

Door latch in the Syrian Christian house. As intricate as they come.

All-wooden hinge of the main door in the Syrian Christian house

A sculpture of Kamadhenu - the cow of plenty, (circa 1900AD). 
You can get a glimpse of another life-size sculpture in the background.

Sculpture of Saint Theresa, first half of the 20th century

Chikmagalur house (slightly warped panorama shot)

The insides of these houses are preserved either in the same fashion as the traditional houses would have been or they have been turned into museums with artefacts from that particular area. Infact, the house from Chikmagalur had been restored and thrown open to the public only a few days before I visited Dakshinachitra. 

There's also a small area designated as the marketplace where artists sell their finished products. You get to see some of the artisans bringing their creations to life here. The marketplace is a dynamic one with changes regularly. If you ever make a repeat visit you might a different set of artists and art forms next time. Besides the marketplace, the centre also has a shop just inside their reception area where it retails traditional products from across India. 

Hand-painted scroll - Pattachitra from Odisha

A closer look at the intricacy of the Pattachitra scroll

Prakash, the creator of these Pattachitra scrolls at his stall

A corner of Dakshinachitra also houses a large art gallery displaying works by contemporary artists. I can't imagine why I didn't get the names of the artists of the paintings I photographed. 

Paintings on display at the art gallery

A closer look at one of the paintings that caught my eye

Yet another close-up of a painting on display

Dakshinachitra is easily accessible from the city by road and MRTS. It is approx 10 kms from the Chennai Central Railway Station and around 13 kms from the airport. Tuesday is their weekly off and they shut by 6 PM.

For more photographs and events' details, check out their Facebook page.  

Large figurines that form a part of the village temple inside Dakshinachitra