Located in the heart of Sapa town , Sapa Stone Church built in 1895 is considered as the most complete ancient architectural mark of the French left. The church has been embellished and preserved, becoming an indispensable image when referring to the misty Sapa town.
Located in the center of Sapa town, the Stone Church here, built in 1895, is considered the most complete ancient architectural mark of the French left. The church has been embellished and preserved, becoming an indispensable image when referring to the misty show town.
The church has many names due to the habits of people and tourists such as Sapa ancient stone church, Our Lady of the Rosary church, stone church, etc. The church was built during the French colonial period, around the beginning of the 20th century. According to some records, the church was chosen to have the facade facing the East, ie the direction of the rising sun. Someone explained that it was the direction to receive the light of God. In the area with the bell tower, that is, the end of the poet is turned to the West, which means the birthplace of Christ. The church was built from hewn stone, in the style of Roman Gothic architecture. The bonds that bind the rock together are a mixture of sand, lime, and molasses. The wall of the wing of the cross is designed to create a rough texture that makes the viewer feel like there are stalactites flowing down, increasing the natural beauty. Previously, the roof was made of lime straw, now it has been replaced and roofed with tiles.
The stone church in this area is the most complete remaining French architectural mark. This church is located right in the middle of Cruise Town Center. In front is a large stadium. Every day, ethnic people gather here to buy, sell and exchange goods.
This is also the place where every Saturday, the horn calls to friends of couples in a love market full of national culture and the breath of the Northwest mountains.
The Church of Our Lady of the Rosary is located on a prime location with the back of Ham Rong mountain shielding, the front is a large and flat land, which can develop many cultural works for social activities. Hoi An, standing on all four sides can observe the relic, along with two other architectural works also built by the French, Chu Cau Villa (now Hoang Lien Hotel) and the old district Party Committee (now known as Hoang Lien Hotel). headquarters of Lao Cai Tourist Information Center) forms a symmetrical triangle with separate French-style architecture.
Choosing the direction of the church has important spiritual significance for Catholics: The head of the relic faces to the East, which is the direction of the rising sun, the direction to receive the light of God. At the end of the church (Bell Tower area) is the West direction, the birthplace of Christ.
The shape and architecture of the Church is built in the shape of a cross according to Roman Gothic architecture. That architecture is reflected in the roof, the bell tower, the rolling arch… are all pyramidal shapes that give the building an elegant flight. The whole church is built of hewn stone (walls, floor, bell tower, church yard, surrounding embankment) linked together by a mixture of sand, lime and molasses. The wall of the right wing of the cross is roughened like a flowing stalactite, adding to the natural beauty of the monument. The roof is tiled, the ceiling is made of straw lime (now renewed). Especially the ceiling in the steeple (near the bell) is a mixture of lime, straw, and iron, which has never been repaired.
With a total area of the church campus of more than 6,000 m2, Sa Pa church has enough room for the arrangement of areas including: Church area, parish house, monk’s house, livestock house, angel house , front yard, fence, Holy Garden. The row of parish houses built parallel to the church area consists of 5 compartments.
The church area consists of 7 compartments with a width of more than 500 m2, the bell tower is 20 m high, in the tower there is a bell 1.5 m high, cast in 1932, weighing 500 kg, echoing within a radius of nearly 1km. Currently, on the surface of the bell is still clearly engraved, the number of people who donated money to mint the bell… The pomu wooden bell holder remains the same after the restoration.
The Rosary Church in the center of Sa Pa is the rendezvous point of many tourists in this land every time they have the opportunity to come here. Although through a number of times of restoration and renovation due to war and fierce destruction of nature, the church still retains the charm and soul of religious architecture .
Source: Collected internet.