Antique Vietnamese Catholic Female Saint Figure Chasuble Authentic Ecclesiastical Garment

This vintage Vietnamese Catholic cloth chasuble features a central hand-carved female saint figure - head and hands, of wood - as well as a sacred heart with a flame coming out of the top of it. There is also a beautiful intricately woven grid as well as floral, fruit & wheat designs, in gilded metallic threads and sequins. Its condition is rather imperfect, testament to its age and how much it was used although it is an extraordinary and rare ecclesiastical garment. Most people associate Catholicism in Viet Nam with the French colonial period, which is very much the case. However, Jesuits from all over Europe brought Catholicism to Asia 500 years before that. The Catholic tradition in Viet Nam and all the other Catholic populations of Asia is well established. The Catholic population of Vietnam is only about 8% of the total but that is about 7 million people. During certain periods of their history Catholics have been some of the most influential people in the country. O