Mysterious Monastery of the Holy Mother Chau Son - Ninh Binh

Chau Son Holy Mother Monastery or Chau Son Church, located in Phu Son commune, Nho Quan district, Ninh Binh province. Coming here, visitors can immerse themselves in the space with ethereal, mysterious and dignified beauty.

TCCT Chau Son Holy Mother Monastery or Chau Son church, located in Phu Son commune, Nho Quan district, Ninh Binh province. Coming here, visitors can immerse themselves in the space with ethereal, mysterious and dignified beauty.

Chau Son Monastery is an isolated place and only recently opened to pilgrims, so few people know about it. However, inside it contains a mysterious beauty along with a large area.

The architecture of Chau Son Monastery is like an ancient castle hidden in the middle of a green forest that we often liken to a corner of Europe in the heart of Vietnam.

Chau Son Holy Mother Monastery is like an ancient castle

The mysterious beauty of Chau Son Monastery

Chau Son Mother Monastery is a Cistercian monastery built in 1939 and dedicated in 1945. The building was built to become a contemplative monastery.

The monastery was built without reinforced cement, only scaffolding and the efforts of several dozen teachers and local workers. The main architect of the monastery is Father Placido Truong Minh Trach - a young monk who has never attended any architecture or construction school.

In Father Placido's life, Chau Son Church is a masterpiece that he put all his heart into creating. No models, all drawings are only visualized in the mind, each line, each brick has been gradually formed in his great thinking and imagination.

Chau Son Holy Mother Monastery was built without reinforced cement

The cathedral is designed in Gothic style 64m long, 20m wide, 21m high, built in the East - West direction, the façade is facing to the East as if it wants to focus on Christ as the Rose appears in the East. God sent to visit and redeem His people.

The campus of Chau Son Holy Mother Monastery

The highlight throughout the 64m length of the work is the column bodies cleverly designed into symmetrical small towers. The wall is harmoniously decorated by windows, divided into two floors above and below, inside are wooden glass doors, outside are "punctured" paintings depicting saints, Jesus carrying the cross in prayer. .

Inside the Cathedral, natural light is just enough to enter two wide corridors through large windows. The shimmering sunlight exalts the circular columns, decorative motifs and reliefs with high generalizability. The white dome is the pinnacle of architectural art in the heart of the cathedral. It highlights the holy pavilion with wonderful colored reliefs, symbols of the Trinity, Our Lady, the Saints…

Inside the Cathedral, natural light is just enough to enter two wide corridors through large windows.

Up to now, the color of time has tinged the ceiling on every brick, the small towers silently lean, the rows of seats are silent in the twilight, the front of the Lord appears in the pale blue light, sparkling.

The campus around the Basilica is extremely cool and the Fantima Garden with green lawns, clear lakes decorated with southern islands and artificial egg rocks; Jacob laterite well is located underground and Nui So cave behind Chau Son Holy Mother Monastery. All create a quiet, solemn monastery like a religious place in the fairyland of Europe.

Koi pond outside the campus of Chau Son Holy Mother Monastery

Looking at the red-brick church in the midst of clouds, mountains, green trees, the simple and peaceful life of the ascetics, we can see peace in trust.

Notes when visiting Chau Son Holy Mother Monastery

Because it is a place of retreat for the priests, the monastery is only open to visitors to visit and take pictures after the prayer time, namely from 8:00 am - 10:30 am and 14:30 am - 16:30 pm for Monday to Saturday; 8am - 10am and 15h30 - 16h30 for Sunday.

In addition, the monastery will be closed to visitors around early August and around March.

Chau Son Holy Mother Monastery only allows visitors to visit the cathedral and campus.

The architecture of Chau Son Monastery is like an ancient castle hidden in the middle of a green forest that we often liken to a corner of Europe in the heart of Vietnam.

Because this is a sacred place, visitors need to keep order, avoid causing noise and disturbance to affect the monastery. The monastery only allows visitors to visit the cathedral and campus. Dress modestly, discreetly and bring sports shoes or flat shoes for easy movement. Do not litter, break branches to cut flowers and need to keep common sense when moving in the monastery grounds. Do not arbitrarily enter the father's residence and study place as well as prohibited places. You are not allowed to touch the artifacts in the monastery's gallery.

Ninh Binh 1911 view

Update day : 11/08/2023