..... see more on "ALBUM 2" .....
(click on the blue hypertext link)
Built in 1744 during the reign of Lord Nguyen Phuc Khoat, it has not been renovated since 1900, unlike most other religious buildings. Its architecture and decoration typical Vietnamese thus remain almost intact.
The natural surroundings of the pagoda is very picturesque. In the garden, come to meet fans of poetry, is the bo tree behind the immaculate statue of Quan The Am Bo Tat, the Goddess of Mercy, seated on a lotus.
By advancing to the sanctuary, a new statue of De Chuan with eighteen arms represents the Goddess. In the sanctuary, among the 113 wooden statues and other valuable works leaders identified include that of A Di Da, the Buddha of the past surrounded by Kasyapa and Anand, two followers of Thich Ca Buddha, whose representation stands in front of A Di Da. Other performances include Ngoc Hoang, the Jade Emperor, the dominant monstrous creatures, or judges infernal regions.
On the tympanum of the portal include the central passion of Christ. On the third register to the left is the image of hell. At the left end, Judas hanged himself from a branch of a tree and behind him stands a goat that symbolizes Satan steal from his soul. It is he who delivered Jesus to the high priests of the temple of Jerusalem. They have called for his death to the Roman governor, Pilate Ponsius.
A large open mouth symbolizes the entrance to hell where you can see a convicted boil in a pot held by a huge tongue of fire. At this level, is a character renowned in Alsace: "Gamil Blosarsch" . It is an allusion to a homosexual bishop who abused choirboys and was ostracized by the town. Erect on his buttocks in the air, stands a young boy urinating. The webbed feet of the bishop symbolize wickedness. We see the grinning face of the bishop.
Below him is the devil sitting on the legs of a goat, with long ears and goatee. It holds the head of the Bishop under his arm, grinning.
Right from the jaws of hell are Adam and Eve. Eve Adam holds his hand on her sex. This gesture symbolizes the original sin of the first pair of creation. The boy puts his hand on the head of Eve. It is a gesture of caress. This gesture symbolizes the commitment of the child's mother.