Mang Lang Church was built in French colonial style in the central coast province of Phu Yen over 130 years ago.
Mang Lang Church was built in French colonial style in the central coast province of Phu Yen over 130 years ago.
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| A view of Mang Lang Church in Phu Yen Province |
Located in An Thach Commune, Tuy An District, about 35 kilometers north of Tuy Hoa City, the church was designed and constructed by French priest Joseph de la Cassagne who started erecting it in a paddy field in 1892. In the area there were a lot of plants with purple pink blossoms called Mang Lang, after which the church was named.
After he died, parishioners buried him in the church so that Catholics could easily pay homage to him. The church was renovated in 1924 after a storm and in 1992 when the church held a 100-year celebration. The church still retains its original Gothic architecture with its bell towers on two sides of the structure and a cross in the middle.
Under the golden sunlight of summer, the church’s black old walls with stained glass windows depicting the cross and other Christian images along the corridors can leave a great impression on visitors. There is a harmonious combination of Eastern and Western architectural values.
The church is also renowned in the Catholic Church community as many people are interested in perusing documentation about the life of Saint Andrew Phu Yen whose statue stands on a small hill in the church yard. He was beatified in March 2000 by Pope John Paul II.
There is a small cave beautified by colorful stalactites, where documents about the martyr who was executed in July 1644 aged just 19 after a purge of Christians, three years after he was baptized and 248 years before work began on the church.
The church, which covers about 5,000 square meters, keeps the first book written in Latin script by Alexandre de Rhodes printed in 1651 in Rome, Italy.
(Source:SGT)
