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Discover the relic of a family church with a 'giant' honey bee nest

Huy Thu • December 3, 2024 16:37

Nguyen Tu family temple, Trung Phuc Cuong commune (Nam Dan) is an architectural work with elaborate carvings, ranked as a provincial-level Historical - Cultural Relic.

The Nguyen Tu family temple in Tan Hoa hamlet, Trung Phuc Cuong commune was built during the Nguyen Dynasty to worship the ancestors and descendants of the family. It is known that the Nguyen Tu family originated from the Nguyen Huu family - a famous family of mandarins in the Trung Can region with famous figures such as the third-rank laureate Nguyen Van Giao, the first-rank laureate Nguyen Huu Lap, the second-rank laureate Nguyen Tu Tai, the painter Nguyen Tu Nghiem... Photo: Huy Thu

The wooden church has 3 compartments, a roof covered with yin-yang tiles, and a front door with "upper window and lower window". The special feature of the Nguyen Tu family church is the wooden frame structure with elaborate and beautiful carvings. Photo: Huy Thu

The two sides of the front and back porches are carved with many traditional themes. Images of "pine - deer", "fish in a moon net", "apricot transforming into a dragon"... are vividly and sharply expressed. However, due to many factors, the sculptures on the wooden structures of the church have been more or less chipped and broken. Photo: Huy Thu

bna_4..jpg — The church was built in the style of four pillars, beams, and smooth lower beams, with carved ribs. Previously, the wooden frame of the church was left untouched, but in the recent restoration, it was painted to protect it. Photo: Huy Thu

bna_5..jpg — The carvings on the wooden frame of the Nguyen Tu family temple are quite rich. In addition to images of nature, animals, plants, flowers and leaves... there are also images of people such as "Doi Toa", "Tam Su Hoc Dao"... conveying many humanistic and educational messages. Photo: Huy Thu

bna_6..jpg — On the top of the central beam, the image of a "phoenix" spreading its wings wide, in a flying position, is carved in a graceful and soft way. Photo: Huy Thu

The relic is located outside the Lam River dike, which is often flooded every year, so the altar is designed in the style of a worshiping cupboard, about 1 meter from the floor, with the bottom left open. The cupboard has a mortise and tenon that fits the main and secondary columns, the back is closed with wooden planks, the front is open with a door, creating a typical worshiping cupboard system of family temples in flood-prone areas. Photo: Huy Thu

bna_8.(1).jpg — On the attic there are 4 altars: the earth god (at the front of the house), the ancestors of the family (in the middle) and the descendants of the family (on both sides). On the altars there are altars and many ancient sacrificial objects. Photo: Huy Thu

The church still preserves many ancient artifacts such as incense altars, royal decree boxes, ancient jars, and many belongings of Nguyen Dynasty mandarins such as seal boxes, book boxes... Photo: Huy Thu

Previously, due to rampant theft, the set of large characters and parallel sentences inlaid with precious pearls of the Nguyen Tu family temple was brought back to the family of Mr. Nguyen Tu An, a descendant of the family and the caretaker of the relic to keep at home to prevent theft. Photo: Huy Thu

What is special is that in the Nguyen Tu family church there is a "huge" honeycomb that surprises many visitors. The honeycomb hangs under the house, attached to a pillar near the right wall (looking out), nearly 1 meter long with many layers of golden honey. According to the descendants of the Nguyen Tu family, this honeycomb has been nesting in the church for 4 years now. In recent times, although every year there are many ceremonies, sacrifices, death anniversaries... with incense smoke billowing, the beehive still stays in the same place and the honeycomb is getting bigger and bigger. Photo: Huy Thu

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Discover the relic of a family church with a 'giant' honey bee nest

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