Sapa ancient stone church, have you ever heard of it? This is a destination that always brings visitors from one surprise to another. It contains the beauty of Europe along with the majestic scenery of the mountains and forests of Northwest Vietnam. To help you have the best luggage for the trip, MYTOUR.ASIA will accompany you to learn about interesting things at this place!
1.Overview of Sapa ancient stone church
1.1 Location of Sapa ancient stone church
Sapa Ancient Stone Church is located near the central square, very convenient for stopping to visit other places. When coming to Sapa Ancient Stone Church, you will feel the sacredness, solemnity and respect here with extremely ancient and unique architecture.
Coming here, you will have the opportunity to witness the “triangle” of relics. This triangle includes the stone church, Chu Cau villa (now Hoang Lien hotel) and finally the Old District Committee (now Lao Cai Tourism Information Center). All of them have unique architecture, bold French style.
The church is located on a fairly spacious and flat land, it can be said that this is the place where many cultural activities, meetings as well as festivals of the village take place. Although the land here is heavily affected by war, it is still quite flat and does not reduce the quality of the construction. The local government also regularly issues policies to repair and renovate the church, to serve the people here as well as open tourism to visitors.
Scenery of Sapa ancient stone church in the early morning
1.2 Long history
Sapa Stone Church or also known as Our Lady of the Rosary Church. It began construction in 1926 and was inaugurated in 1935, especially people consider it a typical symbol of the misty town of Sapa. Up to now, the ancient stone church of Sapa has become one of the tourist attractions attracting a large number of visitors, with interesting religious activities of the people here.
This building was built by French architects, who recorded the historical and war marks left on the stone slabs of the church.
The church in the old days, covered with mist
2. What is special about Sapa ancient stone church?
2.1 The direction of the church has sacred meaning
The ancient stone church of Sapa was chosen to face the East, where the sun rises. This represents a very sacred meaning, which is the act of receiving the source of light and brilliant energy given by God. At the end of the church is the West, this is where General Kito was born and grew up.
The ancient stone church always has people coming and going.
2.2 European Gothic architecture
The entire house is built mainly of stone, including walls, floors, towers, bells… which are bonded together by lime, sand and molasses. With a total area of over 6000 square meters, Sapa ancient stone church is fully equipped with rooms to arrange different areas.
Moving inside the church, you will be overwhelmed by the very ornate European architecture. The Gothic La architectural style is applied to the ancient stone church of Sapa even in the smallest details. The appearance and architecture here are in the shape of a cross in the Gothic architecture of ancient Rome.
The beauty of ancient architecture is very ancient
2.3 Unique dome
The roof of the church is covered with red tiles and is laid in a triangular shape, with the two edges of the roof tiles made in a simple, straight shape. The ceiling is made of straw, which has been renewed continuously over many generations.
However, the bell tower is a combination of lime, straw and iron that remains intact over time and has never been repaired.
The red tiled roof makes the poet’s house look more ancient and mossy.
2.4 Paint color and other details
The white painted interior enhances the elegance of the poet, creating a more spacious and airy feeling. The walls on both sides are paneled with wood for easier cleaning. In addition, the windows above are designed in a small semicircular shape, using colored glass pieces for decoration, this style is unique to the West.
Most of the church is made of hewn stone, held together with a mixture of sand, lime, and molasses. The wall to the right of the cross is sanded to resemble stalactites slowly flowing down, making the church even more unique.
The church became more luxurious after renovation.
Place of worship of the gods
The space here is always quiet and peaceful.
3. The grounds are incredibly impressive.
The total area of the campus is up to 6000 square meters, divided into many different small areas: church area, monk’s house area, livestock area, sky house, front yard, fence and Holy Garden area. The row of houses is built parallel to the church area with 5 different compartments.
The Angel House has a basement with three upper floors, where it specializes in treating sick people, welcoming travelers, restrooms, kitchens, etc.
The Holy Garden has 2 tombs with 5 old Khao Vang trees, 4 of which grow on rocks.
The 7-compartment church has a large area of up to 500 square meters, with a bell tower about 20 meters high. Inside the tower is a 1.5 meter high bell weighing 500 kg, cast in 1932. Its sound can resonate within a radius of 1 km. The surface of the bell has data related to it recorded, the bell stand is made of Pơmu wood and is still quite intact to the present time.
In addition, you will be very interested in other areas such as the front yard – where cultural and religious activities take place and is also a place for cultural exchange and souvenir trading. Every Saturday, at the famous Love Market in Sapa, there are exciting activities.
The area behind the church is surrounded by trees.
Along the church is a campus covered with red bricks in a strong European style.
4 Ideal check-in corners
4.1 Panorama of the church
The church has an extremely beautiful space, you will easily have your own photo capturing the whole moment of the church and your body, ensuring you will feel satisfied with this harmonious combination. Tourists check in with the church
4.2 Church combined with Sapa square
With this space, most visitors will be more interested in taking pictures of nature.
You will have a photo of the whole moment of the church and the square.
4.3 The stairs
With its location close to the central square, the church is connected to the stairs going up. Posing sitting on the stairs and taking a picture of the church will definitely give you a beautiful photo. This shooting style always creates a vintage-style frame, very gentle without being ‘bothered’ by too many people in the photo.
A vintage photo on the stairs
4.4 The church’s sparkling view at night
When the sunset just goes down, the colorful LED strips surrounding the church are lit up, making the space warmer and more romantic.
Sapa ancient stone church at night is beautiful and gentle
5 Activities not to be missed
5.1 Explore the famous love market
Located in the center of Sapa town, you will have the opportunity to explore the Love Markets with the typical characteristics of the ethnic minorities in the highlands with unique souvenirs. The market usually takes place every Saturday night, remember to arrange your schedule to have the most interesting trip.
Everyone is excited when coming to the Love Market.
5.2 Watch special performances
The activity that takes place in parallel with the love market is a special cultural program. In addition to local people, people from neighboring ethnic groups also flock here to perform dances and play traditional musical instruments, contributing to the bustling atmosphere.
Enjoy unique performances
6. Unique cuisine
After visiting Sapa Stone Church, don’t forget to enjoy the extremely attractive Sapa specialties. Among them, MIA.vn must mention such as fresh salmon hotpot, grilled pork, fried stream fish… Sitting at small roadside stalls, enjoying snacks in the cold mountain weather is enough to make you feel excited. In addition, you can also buy dried buffalo meat or other ethnic specialties as gifts for relatives.
Delicious salmon hotpot
When coming to Sapa, you should not miss this grilled pork dish.
Sapa ancient stone church is an extremely interesting place, you will have unforgettable experiences here when visiting the misty town of Sapa. A place that marks historical achievements, war is always a destination that brings us back to the glorious days.