Unique sculptures of the hundreds of years old family church
(Baonghean.vn) - Nguyen Nhu family temple in Dai Dong commune (Thanh Chuong) is not only a historical relic, a sacred place of worship, but also a unique work of sculptural art.
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| The Nguyen Nhu family temple in Dai Dinh village, Dai Dong commune was built in the 17th century, and was rebuilt by descendants in the 19th century with two worshiping halls and a sanctuary. After many renovations and embellishments, the temple still retains its original architecture. Currently, on the left of the temple is a memorial house for Vietnamese Heroic Mother Phan Thi Suu and martyr Nguyen Nhu Dan. Photo: Huy Thu |
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| What is special is that both the worship hall and the sanctuary, on the wooden frame, are elaborately carved and sculpted. The worship hall has 3 compartments made of ironwood and rosewood, designed in the style of "gong rack and chain". The relatively large wooden structures are carved with bamboo shoot bark and decorated with unique patterns. Photo: Huy Thu |
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| Compared to other family temples in the province, the sculptures on the wooden frame of Nguyen Nhu family temple are relatively bold in terms of density, theme, and idea. Photo: Huy Thu |
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| On the supports, the joints of the components are all vividly carved with flowers, leaves, and lotus flowers. Photo: Huy Thu |
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| The worshiping hall is only built with walls at both ends, the front and back are left open so that you can easily admire the sculptures on the rafters. The themes of "four sacred animals, four seasons" are expressed on the wooden frame of the worshiping hall quite vividly and flexibly. Photo: Huy Thu |
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| On the crossbar is a stylized decoration of a phoenix flying with its wings spread wide, its mouth holding a branch, its feet holding a scroll, quite unique. Photo: Huy Thu |
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| The harem house has 3 compartments and 2 ends, the rafters are designed in the style of "upper palace, lower beam", "passing beams". The first two rafters are embossed with stylized tigers in the style of a dragon's body, tiger's face, high forehead, big nose, square mouth. As for the rafters, instead of a calf's neck, the artisan carved 2 dragon-shaped ends with long necks, round eyes, and sharp open mouths. The beams are decorated with geometric patterns, the Bagua shape is supported by clouds and water waves. Photo: Huy Thu |
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| The eaves of the harem are carved with delicate carvings. The two eaves in the middle are decorated quite uniquely. Tiger faces, dragon faces with layers of flower petals. Photo: Huy Thu |
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| At Nguyen Nhu family temple, there are still many ancient sacrificial objects, rich in genre and diverse in design, such as incense table, altar, eight treasures, dragon throne, large inscription, incense burner, wooden genealogy... Photo: Huy Thu |
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| Nguyen Nhu Family Temple is an ancient architectural work that has existed for hundreds of years, associated with the worship of ancestors and those who have contributed to the people and the country. The work is considered to be relatively large in scale, with beautiful architecture and elaborate decoration. In the photo: Unique pair of wooden unicorns carrying a price. Photo: Huy Thu |
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| As one of the oldest historical sites in Thanh Chuong district, the Nguyen Nhu family temple is a witness to many important historical events of the locality. The temple was recognized as a provincial historical and cultural relic in 2011. In the photo: A pair of ancient stone steles in front of the main house are engraved with Chinese characters about the origin of the Nguyen Nhu family. Photo: Huy Thu |
