Paris Commune Square (Saigon)
History
The square was originally named Place de la Cathédrale (roughly translated "Cathedral Square") dated back to the French colonial period. In 1903, the colonial government erected a bronze statue of French Catholic priest Pigneau de Behaine and juvenile Prince Nguyễn Phúc Cảnh in the center of the garden in front of the cathedral, and the square is thus known as place Pigneau de Béhaine. It was brought down in October 1945 leaving behind an empty statue pedestal. There was no statue on the site until 1959 under the First Republic of Vietnam, when a new statue of Our Lady of Peace (Vietnamese: Tượng Đức Bà Hòa Bình) was erected in honor of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The square itself was called Hòa Bình Square (Vietnamese: Công trường Hòa Bình, literally "Peace Square"). In May 1964, the South Vietnamese government renamed it President John F. Kennedy Square (Vietnamese: Công trường Tổng thống John F. Kennedy) honoring the assassinated U.S. President. After the Fall of Saigon, the square was renamed Công trường Công xã Paris (literally means "Paris Commune Square") by the Provisional Revolutionary Government.
References
- ^ The Directory & Chronicle for China, Japan, Corea, Indo-China, Straits Settlements, Malay States, Sian, Netherlands India, Borneo, the Philippines, &c: With which are Incorporated "The China Directory" and "The Hong Kong List for the Far East". Hong Kong Daily Press Office. 1909. p. 1151.
- ^ Vietnam Business Magazine. Vol. 8. Ministry of Commerce (Vietnam). 1998. p. 24.
- ^ Edwards, Anastasia (2003). Saigon: Mistress of the Mekong : an Anthology. Oxford University Press. p. 166. ISBN 9780195906028.
- ^ Hỏi đáp về Sài Gòn Thành phố Hồ Chí Minh [Questions and Answers About Saigon - Ho Chi Minh City] (in Vietnamese). Vol. 6. Nhà xuất bản Trẻ. 2006. p. 121.
- ^ "Saigon Honors Kennedy, Square Named For Him". The New York Times. 31 May 1964. Retrieved 30 July 2019.