Triệu Tổ miếu

The Temple of Original Ancestor (Vietnamese: Triệu Tổ miếu, Hán tự: 肇祖廟) was built either in 1804 or during the third year of Gia Long's rule to commemorate the duke Nguyễn Kim who was the ancestor of Nguyễn dynasty.[1]

Temple of Original Ancestor
Triệu Tổ miếu
肇祖廟
General information
TypeRoyal tomb
AddressGrand Inner City, Huế,  Vietnam
Coordinates16.4702°N 07.5801°E / 16.4702; 07.5801
Construction started1804
Design and construction
ArchitectĐỗ Kỳ Mẫn

History

Temple of Original Ancestor is located to the north of the Ancestral Temple. Its design was inspired by Ming's architecture, most notably with a rectangular perimeter that represents the script king (王), three main doors facing southward. The interior of the temple consists of an altar, on which two plaques of the Original Ancestor and his lady are placed.[2]

A poem can be found inscribed on the ceiling, with its content presumably praising the following merit of the Original Ancestor, that :

開國承家，Khai quốc thừa gia,
守成繼體。Thủ thành kế thể.
報本崇原，Báo bản sùng nguyên,
洽斯百禮。Hiệp tư bách lễ.

The temple was badly damaged during the 1968 Tet Offensive. Since then, the temple had been abandoned until 2014 when it underwent a 27-month period of restoration funded with US$700,000 by the United States Department of State.[3]

However, this "newly restored" temple was panned by the press for being too flashy and unaesthetic, given the original intent of how Huế's art works should look during the Golden Age.[4] The mosaics on the roof are rendered rough and do not seem to describe a classical legend of Confucius.

References
  1. About placement of the furniture in the Vietnam's Nguyen dynasty royal palace : Comparisons of the furniture placement in the Trieu To temple and temple of emperor's tomb, and The To temple
  2. About the Temple of Original Ancestor
  3. Hoa Kỳ tài trợ 700,000 USD tu bổ Triệu Tổ miếu
  4. How the Temple of Original Ancestor was restored
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