Located in the center of Tam Coc, adjacent to Ninh Van stone craft village, Hong Quang Gem and Art Stone Center is an architectural work with a total area of 3,000 m2, the focus is the building having a surface of 450 m2, the height of 27 m was built almost entirely of stone in 12 years.
The building is named after Phat Phat Diem Church with a unique architecture, harmonizing harmoniously between European classical lines (in the system of columns, forehead, basement) and the system of curved and patterned tile roofs. Traditional Vietnamese decoration. Like the highlight of the architecture of Phat Diem Church – a completely handmade stone building, the main building of Hong Quang Gem and Art Stone Center also arranges all items on one side. with the overall shape of the Wang, the space of opening and closing in the style of creating a clear oriental scene: first is the lake, then the mountain. According to the concept of Asians “water in the front and mountains behind” is the desire for everything to go well and well for life.
It is a harmonious combination between Eastern temple architecture and Gothic architecture of the West.
This building also bears the typical architectural features of Vietnam’s traditional temple with countless curved bow-shaped roofs, different from other Catholic buildings.
Stone church is combined with many intricate carvings. Images that are familiar to Vietnamese villages such as pine, chrysanthemum, bamboo, apricot or lotus … are decorated around the works.
The entire woodwork and interior of the building and the walls on both sides are made entirely of stone, in which the main hall of the house has a very large granite column system carefully selected and takes a lot of time, space to put into this work. The roof covered with fish scales tiles, a traditional Vietnamese tile type at the pagodas.
Lasting 12 years of construction and done entirely by hand, a unique work of art was formed by the talented hands of artisans.
The pattern is carved directly on the unbroken original stone blocks. with the image of lotus flower, Chinese character, dragon “dragon, unicorn, turtle, phoenix” or four quarters “Pineapple, bamboo, chrysanthemum, apricot” … carved into columns, trusses, porch, arches.The quarterly topic is often expressed in architectural and religious constructions made of wood, but with stone materials, this topic needs to be meticulous and creative. multiply.
Pine, chrysanthemum, bamboo, apricot are shown on rocks in Ninh Van, which show the characteristics of each type of tree, with symbols: Pines symbolizes the gentleman, bamboo – righteousness, chrysanthemum – the movement of time, apricot trees – the highness, the mood, have been shown with soft curves.
The ceiling dome system inside the hall is the typical architecture of classical Gothic Europe but in the Vietnamese conception, “The upper arch represents the sky and the stone below represents the square ground, very suitable for Asian conception of the fit between earth – heaven, yin and yang.
In addition to displaying artworks, the building also has space for introducing handicraft products bearing the culture of Hoa Lu in particular and Vietnam in general.
The centerpiece of the display system is the space to introduce art stone products, jewelry gems to serve the needs of collection and beauty.
Group of fine art stone carving products: This is also a large item found in fine art stone craft villages in Ninh Van. The stone paintings are presented with many different topics: four quarters, four spirits, five cranes of spare parts, dragon assemblies in clouds, village scenes … with all sizes and designs (squares, rectangles, letters, tidbits, tree trunks …).
To get a beautiful stone art product, favored by customers, the Ninh Van stonemason, in addition to talented craftsmanship, is another decisive factor: that is the mind, affection of the worker, sending stick to that product. Only like that, the product has its own style and beauty that is not easily confused with any other locality. Along with stone painting products, there are many other fine art stone products crafted by Ninh Van workers such as: supporting bonsai pots, decorative animals: retired monk, toad with pearls, female statues … to decorate the living room of every family or company, agency.
Here, under the skillful hands of artisans, the stone transforms into many shapes, becoming soft and flexible. On the large stones on the 3rd floor, you can see the images of phoenixes, pure Vietnamese lotuses carved out very vividly.
The flowers, leaves, trees and wavy clouds, seem like the majesty of the place. the ancient capital of the tombs of Dinh and Le kings or the poetic features of ancient pagodas in Vietnam. This space is designed by the owner of the house into two bars on both sides with a minimalist design of woodwork, both modern and multi-functional when taking large groups of visitors to visit the project. Outside the 3rd floor yard is an airy space with a moon contemplation rotunda on high, below is a lower hut used as a small stage.