CHAU SON MONASTERY

Chau Son Monastery, also known as Chau Son Holy Mother Monastery or Brick Church, nestled amidst the serene landscapes of Ninh Binh province.

It is a Cistercian monastery located in Phu Son commune, Nho Quan district, Ninh Binh province. The Monastery is located 65 km from the Cathedral of Phat Diem, 35 km from Ninh Binh city, 2 km from the center of Nho Quan town, and 97 km from Hanoi.

Chau Son Monastery, built on August 15, 1936, is a contemplative monastery that originated from the Monastery of Our Lady of Phuoc Son (Phuoc Son Monastery, founded in 1918 by missionary Henri–Denis Bien Duc Thuan in Phuoc Son, Quang Tri). Bishop John Baptist Nguyen Ba Tong, the first Vietnamese to be appointed Bishop of the Diocese of Phat Diem, was the one who suggested that the Phuoc Son monks establish a monastery in the Diocese of Phat Diem.

Chau Son Church (built on February 18, 1939) is located in a quiet mountainous area, oriented in a west-east direction, designed in a Gothic style with a surrounding wall up to 0.6 meters thick, with columns 1.2 meters thick to create warmth in winter and coolness in summer.

Viewed from both sides, the highlight throughout the 64-meter length is the columns designed as small, symmetrical towers; the walls are harmoniously decorated with windows divided into two upper and lower levels, with wooden glass doors inside and “perforated” paintings of saints, people carrying the cross and praying outside.

What is special about the Chau Son church building is that it is designed in the Gothic architectural style with the main material being red bricks without plaster, giving it a different, unique, real and warm beauty.

Inside the church, just enough natural light enters the two wide corridors through large windows, highlighting the rows of round columns, decorative motifs and high-level reliefs. The 21m high white vault is the pinnacle of architectural art in the heart of the church.

The monastery grounds are planted with many trees and decorated in a unique way with miniature rock gardens, greenery, exquisite sculptures, statues of saints, and more. In addition, the monastery has an artificial egg rock garden, an underground laterite well or a stone cave behind the monastery.

You will feel like you are lost in a fairy-tale garden with an ancient castle nestled in the middle of a green forest.