Antique Vietnamese Catholic Marian Cross Design Authentic Ecclesiastical Cloth Altar Textile

This vintage Vietnamese Catholic altar cloth features a central large dark red letter M, below a crown with the cross on the top. The letter M refers to the Marian Cross, to Mary, the Mother of God. Around the M are silk-embroidered flowers. This would have decorated the front of the altar. This is an exceptionally beautiful early 20th century cloth and is among the oldest we have. Regrettably its condition reflects its age and use; it is very worn and stained.  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