Hoanh Son Communal House - a unique historical architectural work
(Baonghean.vn) - Hoanh Son Communal House in Khanh Son Commune (Nam Dan District) was built and completed in 1763, worshiping Uy Minh Vuong Ly Nhat Quang - the 8th son of King Ly Thai To. Hoanh Son Communal House is famous for its many unique decorative wood carvings.
 |
| Located on an area of about 2,500 m2,Hoanh Son communal house is located on the right bank of Lam river, in hamlet 4, Khanh Son commune, Nam Dan district. Previously, the communal house was called Nam Hoa communal house, then Lang Ngang communal house, in Nam Kim commune. Photo: Thanh Cuong |
 |
| According to the few remaining documents, Hoanh Son communal house was built in December of the year Nham Ngo, the 23rd year of Canh Hung (1763) and completed at the end of the following year (Quy Ty 1764). The initiator and mastermind of this construction was Dang Thac, a bachelor under the reign of King Le Hien Tong (1740 - 1786), of noble lineage and the most powerful in the region. Photo: Thanh Cuong |
 |
| Hoanh Son communal house has 8 trusses, 7 compartments with a total of 32 round ironwood pillars. Of which, there are 12 main pillars 5.75m high, 0.45m in diameter and 20 secondary pillars nearly 4m high, 0.42m in diameter. Inside the communal house, on top of the row of pillars is a complex of sculptures. Photo: Thanh Cuong |
 |
| Although it is a communal house of a small village, Hoanh Son communal house has a large scale and unique architectural art, to the point that many people believe that the people here have done the "impossible". The rafters are connected in a "matching stack" structure, with beautiful "two dragons worshipping the moon" carvings. The communal house pillars are all over 50cm in diameter and are the load-bearing foundation of the entire communal house structure. Photo: Thanh Cuong |
 |
| The patterns in the communal house are carved very elaborately and with high sophistication such as: eight immortals, riding cranes, playing chess, boat racing, four sacred animals, four seasons, eagles symmetrically in each compartment, dragon nest... expressing the philosophical view of life imbued with the humanistic spirit of the nation and reflecting the art of carving that has reached the level of master. Photo: Thanh Cuong |
 |
| The pillars in the main hall are embossed with the image of two large dragons hugging the pillars facing the ground. On the roof of the communal house are images of coiled dragons, sitting tigers, and lions; the roof is tiled with yin and yang. Photo: Thanh Cuong |
 |
| The beams are shaped with spiral patterns, and the panels depict many rich and vivid themes such as "bamboo bird", "plum bird", dragon, phoenix, stylized flowers and leaves... In particular, the dong panels depict some quite unique themes and stories such as "rowing a boat" or the story "Four hermits in Thuong Son mountain", "Thanh Thang and Y Doan". The carvings are expressed in the style of bong keng, meticulously depicting the images, gestures, and movements of the motifs and characters, making the picture extremely vivid, extremely sharp, and flexible. Photo: Thanh Cuong |
 |
| The armpitscarved in the style of the channel combined with the openwork carving. The theme here, in addition to dragons and phoenixes, also appears many scenes depicting the very simple life of the people such as fishing, plowing, cooking rice, ... festivals, or folk tales. Photo: Thanh Cuong |
 |
| In the past, two major festivals were held at the communal house: the Ky Phuc festival in February and the God procession festival on the 15th day of the 6th lunar month. Nowadays, these festivals have been forgotten, but Hoanh Son communal house is still one of the places for spiritual and cultural activities of the people of Khanh Son commune and the surrounding area. |
 |
| 250 years old, located right on the bank of Lam River, through the events of history, the temple has witnessed many changes in the countryside here. It is expected that on November 30, 2020, associated with the 990th anniversary of Nghe An's name, Hoanh Son communal house will be recognized as a special National Monument. This is an honor not only for the people of Khanh Son, Nam Dan but also for the people of Nghe An, the Central region and the whole country. |
