Antique Vietnamese Catholic Jesus Christ Design Chasuble Authentic Ecclesiastical Garment

This vintage Vietnamese Catholic red silk chasuble features a central embroidered image of Jesus Christ with a bursting heart emblazoned on his chest as well as a beautiful variety of intricately woven floral and wheat designs in silk embroidery. Its condition is very good, though not perfect, testament to its age and how much it was used. 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. One of the largest concentrations of Catholics in Viet Nam is in the province of Nam Dinh, a short distance south of Hanoi, on the coast. Altho