Mang Lang Church is located on the south bank of the lower Cai River (Ky Lo River) in An Thach Commune, Tuy An District, old Phu Yen Province, now Tuy An Dong Commune, Dak Lak Province. Near this church, there was a bustling Tien Chau trading port in the 18th - 19th centuries, where foreign ships such as Taiwanese and Japanese often docked to trade. Opposite the north bank of Cai River is An Tho Citadel, which was once the capital of Phu Yen Province (old) (1836 - 1899).
According to historical records, during the reign of King Le Thanh Tong, the 6th year of Hong Duc (1476), he reclaimed the land from Cu Mong Pass to Ca Pass. After many leaders guarded this land, in 1629, Lord Nguyen Phuc Nguyen established Tran Bien and assigned his son-in-law Nguyen Phuc Vinh to guard it. The wife of the governor Nguyen Phuc Vinh was Princess Ngoc Lien, the eldest daughter of the Lord, who was baptized in 1636 with the Christian name Maria Mada Lena; she followed her husband here and established a chapel right in Tran Bien Palace, preaching to everyone, from which the first group of believers was formed. Later, the group of believers grew in number, she established Trai Thuy near Tien Chau port and even had foreign priests join in preaching.
In 1892, Father Joseph Lacassagne (commonly known as Co Xuan) started the construction of Mang Lang Church and he was also the first parish priest of Mang Lang. Father Joseph Lacassagne died in 1900, then Father Antome Wend continued to build this project. On April 14, 1907, the inauguration and blessing ceremony of the church was organized by Bishop Grangeon Man; at the same time, he also blessed 3 bells that were brought from France to Vietnam in 1905 through Tien Chau seaport to hang on the church bell tower.
In the year of Giap Ty (1924), a big storm and flood collapsed the old roof of the church; in 1926, Father Meu Marius Julien Jeam, parish priest of Mang Lang, repaired it to what it is today.
According to local people, this place used to be an old forest with a tall tree, wide canopy, oval leaves, and purple-pink flowers called Lagerstroemia, later renamed Lagerstroemia and the name of this precious flower was given to the Lagerstroemia church. Currently, the church is preserving a round table made from Lagerstroemia tree stump with a diameter of 1.7 m.
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| Mang Lang ancient church. Photo: Hong Ha |
Mang Lang Church is located on a 5,000 m2 land area, with a construction area of 920 m2, a church area of 544 m2, with a capacity of about 500 seats, a height of about 23.6 m (at the top of the bell tower).
From the church to the gate, fence, landscape... all have bold European Gothic architecture, an architectural style famous all over the world . The church is covered in a gray-green color that blends with the green of the Tam Giang river region.
On top of the church is a cross in the middle, on both sides are two bell towers higher than the cross, this is the architectural difference of Mang Lang church compared to other churches currently in Vietnam, the church facade is symmetrical along the vertical axis.
Sculptural patterns appear everywhere in the church from the walls to the pillars. These are meticulous, delicate patterns that have existed for more than a hundred years, showing the talent of the artisans and the designers and builders of this project.
Gothic architecture is most clearly shown through the openings in the main hall and the two side rooms leading to the cathedral. Although the architecture is strongly European, it still retains Vietnamese culture, shown in the patterns on each wooden door. Inside the cathedral are two rows of columns, connected by continuous arches, the motifs are carved on the columns and ceiling. The cathedral floor is quite high compared to the ground level, and faces the South, so the wind blows strongly. The windows for natural light are installed with sparkling stained glass; it can be said that this is a building with excellent architectural physics of sound, light, and ventilation.
Mang Lang Church is associated with many mysterious stories kept inside the cathedral cave (on the left side from the entrance). The cave was created as an artificial hill, by erecting many stone pillars. The outside of the hill is covered with green grass, flowers and miniature landscapes, statues of the Virgin Mary. Inside the cave is designed to be ventilated and naturally ventilated quite well. Here, the first catechism written in Vietnamese, entitled "Eight-day sermon" compiled by priest Alexandre de Rhodes and printed in Rome (Italy) in 1651, is also preserved. In addition, there are many images, stories, documents related to Blessed Anre Phu Yen, including a painting of Anre praying.
Mang Lang Church near O Loan lagoon, Da Trang pagoda, An Tho citadel, and Da Dia reef are famous scenic spots and relics; destinations that attract a large number of tourists to visit and admire.
Source: https://baodaklak.vn/van-hoa-du-lich-van-hoc-nghe-thuat/202511/kien-truc-dac-sac-cua-nha-tho-co-mang-lang-2a50145/
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