Cua Bac Church (Vietnamese: Nhà thờ Cửa Bắc) is a Roman Catholic church in Hanoi, Vietnam. Originally named as Church of Martyrs (French: église des Martyrs), the church was built in 1932 by the French administration of Indochina as a part of the Hanoi's urban plan supervised by Ernest Hébrard. Today, Cua Bac Church is one of the three major churches of Hanoi, together with Ham Long Church and Saint Joseph Cathedral. In November, 2006, the Cua Bac Catholic Church became the venue of joint worship service of the Vietnamese Catholics and Protestants with participation of the United States President George W. Bush, who was on an official visit to Vietnam.
In the early 1930s, the French architect Ernest Hébrard began his urban plan to redesign the city of Hanoi, as a part of this plan, a new Roman Catholic church named Church of Martyrs was built in front of the Northern Gate (Cửa Bắc) of the ancien Hanoi Citadel in 1932.[1] Because of its location, the church was more commonly known as Cua Bac Church. Ernest Hébrard designed Cua Bac Church in eclectic style with strong influence of Art Deco decoration,[2] he also integrated in the Catholic Church some elements of the traditional architecture in Vietnam such as the system of roof iles and the harmony between the main architecture with its surrounding green space. For that reason, Cua Bac Church is considered a fine example for the mixed style between European and Vietnamese architectures.
Today, Cua Bac Church is one of the three major churches of Hanoi, together withHam Long Church and Saint Joseph Cathedral.[3] In November 2006, Cua Bac Church was chosen the venue of a joint congregation of the Vietnamese Catholics and Protestants with participation of the United States President George W. Bush, who was on an official visit to Vietnam.[4][5] After the service, the President remarked: "Laura and I just had a moment to converse with God in a church here in Hanoi. We were touched by the simplicity and the beauty of the moment. We appreciate very much the congregation for allowing us to come and worship with them."[6]