The brilliant salmon pink church was built in 1923, nearly 70m high by the priest Louis Vallet, is the only church built by the French colonial in Da Nang.
History
The official name of the church is Basilica of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
The construction started in February 1923 on the bare land of Rue du Musée (now Tran Phu Street) designed by Father Vallet and the owner, one of the constructions built during the time. The construction period was short, the facade was completed in just only 7 months and on March 10, 1924, the first inauguration ceremony was held. At that time it was magnificent in the eyes of everyone who passed it and now the church is still impossible to overlook.
The church is under The Diocese of Da Nang - a part of the Archdiocese of Hue, one of the three Roman Catholic archdioceses in Vietnam.
Architecture
With Gothic-style architecture, characterized by high lines and cauldron door rings, yet painted in a pastel pink colour, The Rooster Church rather has a friendly and tropical look. Inside the church, there are paintings and statues of saints depicted according to the bible decorations in the form of Western Christian Catholic art. The glass windows reflect the events of the Bible and the interference of Vietnamese and French cultural convergence.
Tucked away to the back of the cathedral there is a peaceful Marian grotto.
Sitting at the very top of the cathedral's steeple, there is a gray rooster made of alloy used to determine the direction of the wind. The affectionate nickname “Rooster Church” comes from here. The gray chicken is made of alloy so it is light and hollow, covered with a special chemical layer so that it has remained over 70 years. People had designed it so that the rooster can rotate according to the wind direction, preventing it from break down.
And why a rooster? According to the Priest's explanation, this rooster is not a symbol of France, but a symbol of penance and awakening according to the Bible when Jesus said to Peter (one of his 12 apostles): Truly I say to you, That this night, before the cock crow twice, you shall deny me thrice. - Mt 26: v. 34
Opening time: Everyday from 8am to 5pm
Address: 156 Trần Phú, Hải Châu 1, Q. Hải Châu, Đà Nẵng
Entrance: Free