Gray Temple (Nam Dinh) receives certificate of special national monument ranking

(PLVN) - On the morning of April 26, in Hong Quang commune, Nam Truc district, Nam Dinh province, the Ceremony to receive the Certificate of ranking as a special national relic of Xam Temple was held.

At the ceremony, Vice Chairman of Nam Truc District People's Committee Vu Tien Duat said: Xam Temple in Lac Dao village, Hong Quang commune worships Warlord Tran Minh Cong (Tran Lam), the leader of one of the most powerful warlords "Twelve Warlords" (12 warlords) in the 10th century. He was the adoptive father and the one who made great contributions to Dinh Bo Linh in the early days of raising the flag of uprising, suppressing the 12 warlords, unifying the country, and establishing Dai Co Viet.

After his death, King Dinh ordered the local people of the place where he was born to build a temple to worship him, hold annual festivals and confer the title "National Thanh Hoang". The worship of Warlord Tran Minh Cong (Tran Lam) at Xam Temple affirmed the role and position of Nam Dinh land in the cause of national unification of Dinh Bo Linh in the 10th century.

Deputy Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Hoang Dao Cuong presented the Certificate of recognition of the special national relic of Den Xam to the leaders of Nam Truc district and Hong Quang commune.

The Gray Temple was built very early, right on the birthplace of the Tran Lam Warlord. Up to now, the Temple has a history of formation and existence of more than 1000 years. Through the ups and downs of history, the harshness of nature, the original architectural traces no longer exist. The current architectural work still retains artistic imprints dating from the end of the 16th century to the first half of the 20th century.

Initially, the temple was just a place to worship gods, but in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, festival activities in the village became increasingly rich, diverse, and developed, becoming an urgent need. The artistic value of the Gray Temple is expressed in both aspects: Wood carving art and exterior decoration art. The carvings on the robes of the rear palace are in the artistic style of the late 16th century. It can be said that these are the few remaining carvings in the style of wood carving art during the Mac Dynasty.

The carvings on the doors, columns and wind panels of the front hall are typical of the 17th century carving style, expressed on the traditional wooden architecture typical of Nam Dinh region. The carvings in the early 20th century art style in the front hall and the middle hall also contribute to the liveliness and diversity, creating a typical value for the architectural work of the Temple. In addition, the architecture and decoration of Hat communal house and bell tower with many influences of the Catholic church architecture in Nam Dinh region have created the uniqueness of the Gray Temple (Hat communal house) architectural work.

Located in an open space and landscape, Xam Temple has created an architectural highlight in the overall space of the village. Xam Temple, together with the following relics: Temple, pagoda, shrine of Rach village; Temple of Tran Van Bao; Thi Communal House; Lac Na Temple, Pagoda; Mong Luong Temple, Pagoda form a typical historical - cultural relic complex of the locality, becoming an attractive destination attracting a large number of tourists to visit, study, research, contributing to the preservation, embellishment and promotion of cultural heritage values, promoting socio -economic development.

In addition to its architectural and artistic value, Xam Temple also preserves many rich and rare artifacts and antiques, dating back to the Later Le and Nguyen dynasties, including: the altar, throne and statue of the General Tran Minh Cong, incense altar, palanquin, parallel sentences, large inscriptions... These artifacts, in addition to their worship function, are also exquisite works of sculpture, contributing to the study of the history of fine arts, the history of construction, restoration and embellishment of the relic through historical periods, while also demonstrating the cherishing and respect for the precious cultural heritages left by our ancestors.

The Gray Temple is a place that contains typical cultural and religious values. Every year, many important festivals take place at the relic site with unique forms of folk cultural activities, with the meaning of honoring and commemorating the Thanh Hoang who has contributed to the people and the country. In particular, the festival held from the 17th to the 19th of the 8th lunar month is the biggest festival of the year to pay tribute to the merits of the Warlord Tran Minh Cong, the central figure of the festival.

The ceremony to receive the Certificate of Special National Monument for Xam Temple is an important event, recognizing the great and typical values ​​in terms of history, culture and architecture of this relic. This is also an opportunity for Hong Quang commune, Nam Truc district, together with Nam Dinh province, to develop and promote culture and tourism, contributing significantly to promoting socio-economic development and integration in the coming time.

Thien Kim

Source: https://baophapluat.vn/den-xam-nam-dinh-don-nhan-bang-xep-hang-di-tich-quoc-gia-dac-biet-post546746.html