Description of the attraction
Some foreign tourists arriving in the capital of Laos, Vientiane, do not expect to see a Catholic church here. This is a rather unusual building for a country where most of the inhabitants are Buddhist.
The Cathedral of the Sacred Heart, located on rue de la Mision, next to the French embassy, is distinguished by its modest design and small size. It was built in a neo-Romanesque style in 1928 when Laos was part of French Indochina. The temple is subordinate to the Apostolic Vicariate of Vientiane, founded in 1952 by the decree of Pope Pius XII.
The Cathedral of the Sacred Heart is visited mainly by Vietnamese living in Vientiane. Sometimes tourists come here for Mass. Some travelers specifically learn about the schedule of services, so that even far from home, in an exotic country, they do not change their habits and visit a Catholic church.
The temple has a single nave and a low bell tower topped with a cross. The interior is decorated simply and concisely: the walls are painted with light plaster, the furniture is made of dark wood, there are stucco decorations, but there are not many of them. Daylight comes in through two rows of windows. Additional lighting is provided by a massive chandelier. Among the attractions of the Cathedral of the Sacred Heart are two statues depicting Joan of Arc and St. Teresa.
It was in the Cathedral of the Sacred Heart that, for the first time in the history of Laos, the ceremony of beatification of 17 Lao martyrs took place, which was held by Cardinal Amato on December 11, 2016 in the presence of 6 thousand followers and top ecclesiastical hierarchs of Asian countries.
