Ta Phin monastery, mysterious ruins in Sapa
Used
to be a missionary place and salvation of 12 female ascetic, Ta
Phin Abbey ruins today carrying the mysterious beauty, mystical
or extraordinary.
Located about 12 km from
Sapa Vietnam,
on the road to
Ta Phin village you should not miss the opportunity to
visit the ruins of Ta Phin Abbey. More than half a century, it
was abandoned but still appealing tourists stop to admire the
bold beauty of French colonial architecture behind the dust
layer of time.
Ta Phin Abbey was home of 12 religious sisters of the
Catholic deported from Japan, drifting away to Sapa. The nuns
have actively contributed to research and disseminate the
technical cultivation of temperate food plants, suitable to the
climate and soil in SaPa such as black oat, vegetables, sweet
potatoes and fresh fruits like grapes, apples, peaches...
The construction of the monastery was started in May 1942, at
this time Vietnam was still under French rule, the building was
under strict supervision of a military unit. The monastery was
called the Virgin Peace Monastery. According to the original
design there is a pretty big monastery, accommodating over 100
people to live and do religious work, however, in reality only a
portion of the building was completed. Plans to build a guest
room, a chaplain as well as farms have not yet been implemented.
To 1947, due to unstable security situation, the group nuns were
forced to evacuate to Hanoi, leaving the monastery devastated.
In the high mountain place covered by fog throughout the year,
image of the ancient Abbey ruins hidden in the mist of the white
clouds of Sapa, with dense vegetation makes it easy to think of
the fairy tale once upon a time.
The Abbey was built with laterite therefore the walls and
pillars are still strong to this day. The remains of the Abbey
raises a question why this building was destroyed by war or
deliberate action of human that the place become so desolate.
The structure of the monastery includes a west-facing chamber, a
staircase connecting 3 floors, including a basement under
ground. This is living room of the nuns, on the right of the
building there is a vertical array linked with the living room,
this may be the storage of food, furniture, and the kitchen of
the monastery. The roof part is no longer existing, the only
ancient mossy walls remains. In front of the building is a wide
corridor, long, but not intact.
Although Ta Phin Monastery was abandoned
for a long time, the ancient setting and contemplative space of
the place is very attractive to tourists.
