See the unique wooden church over 100 years old in Kon Tum

Performed by: Nam Nguyen | April 13, 2024

(Fatherland) - Kon Tum Church is the only remaining wooden masterpiece in the Basilica style in the world. The entire structure of the church is made of wood and joined together with mortise and tenon joints without using any nails.

Over a century (105 years) exposed to the sun and wind of the Central Highlands, the wooden church in Kon Tum province is still intact and spacious. The church is ranked in the top 10 most beautiful Catholic churches in the country. That is why tourists coming to Kon Tum all visit this ancient church.

The wooden church is called the Cathedral. The church is built mainly of wood with a design in the style of the indigenous people of the Central Highlands, so people often call it the wooden church.

The church was built from 1913 to early 1918 and has been in use to this day.

The church is built entirely of cajeput wood. The walls are made of soil mixed with straw, no reinforced concrete is used.

The church covers an area of ​​over 700 square meters with the interior decorated entirely with precious woods. Around the church, there are dozens of round wooden pillars supporting the large roof of the cathedral.

After many years of exposure to the sun and wind of the Central Highlands, the church is still sturdy and full of antiquity.

Inside the cathedral can accommodate up to hundreds of people.

After more than 100 years of history, the wooden church has not been damaged.

Inside the cathedral there are many stained glass windows depicting biblical stories. These windows not only let in natural light but also add to the splendor of the cathedral.

This is not only an extremely unique wooden religious architectural work with more than 100 years of history, but also the only surviving wooden architectural masterpiece in the Basilica style in the world.

According to historical documents, in the mid-19th century, there was a 120km long road called the "Salt, Ceramics and Gongs" road from Quang Ngai to Kon Tum. French missionaries followed this road to carry out their missionary work.

There is an extremely interesting detail that shows that the artisans of that time were extremely skillful and sophisticated when placing a very large circular stained glass painting in the center of the cathedral, right above the main door, opposite the sanctuary to both get light and decorate as a symbol of the Sun shining straight inside.

Visiting Kon Tum wooden church, visitors not only learn more about the history of Kon Tum diocese's cathedral but also admire one of the wooden masterpieces of Catholic architecture in Vietnam as well as Southeast Asia.

The church is open to everyone, regardless of religion, all year round, except in the evening. If you visit the wooden church on Sunday, you will have to wait until after 9am to enter to avoid disturbing the Catholic community's mass.

This extremely unique and beautiful religious architectural work deserves to be ranked among the masterpieces of wooden Catholic architectural works in Vietnam and Southeast Asia.

Source: https://toquoc.vn/ngam-nha-tho-go-doc-dao-hon-100-nam-tuoi-o-kon-tum-20240413102241537.htm