Untold story of a 100-year-old church on the back of turtle-shaped rock

The old church in Dong Chiem village (An Phu, My Duc, Hanoi) was built over 100 years ago on a rocky ledge.

October 30, 2020 | 07:51

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Dong Chiem Church (An Phu, My Duc, Hanoi) was built over 100 years ago. According to Mr. Luong - a Cell Secretary of Dong Chiem village said that in the past, the land on which the church was located was a rocky ledge. The builder of this church was a French who went to Vietnam to indoctrinate. (Photo: Vietnamnet)

The church is surrounded by rocky mountains, from which one can admire the whole scene of Dong Chiem village. (Photo: Vietnamnet)

Those built a century ago, the church is well-preserved and shows no sign of degradation. (Photo: Vietnamnet)

(Photo: Vietnamnet)

This photo shows the main gate of the church. According to Luong, the gate was originally made only from stone. In recent years, regional Christian contributed to repair and rebuild the stars. (Photo: Vietnamnet)

When seen from afar, the church and its stone base look like a turtle floating on the water surface. (Photo: Vietnamnet)

As said by the elderly in the village, the adhesive that was used to build the church was a mix of sugarcane syrup and additives. (Photo: Vietnamnet)

The church architecture is a combination of French style and Indochina details. (Photo: Vietnamnet)

On the doorstep of the church lies a couple of "nghê" - one of Vietnam's folk animals, which normally only appears in temples or pagodas. It is unclear why statues of this animal were built before Dong Chiem church. (Photo: Vietnamnet)

According to the church's priest, the couple of "nghê" serves as a decorative detail and a sign of cultural interference. (Photo: Vietnamnet)

The church is recently chosen by young couple as a location to take wedding photos, Mr. Nguyen Manh Ngu, Vice Chairman of An Phu People's Committee said. (Photo: Vietnamnet)

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