Gereja Ayam
| Gereja Ayam | |
|---|---|
The view of the Chicken Church from the top of the Hill | |
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| General information | |
| Status | Open to the public for tours and visitations. |
| Type | Prayer house or church |
| Address | Karangrejo Gombong, Kurahan, Kembanglimus, Kec. Borobudur, Kabupaten Magelang, Jawa Tengah 56553, Indonesia |
| Country | Indonesia |
| Coordinates | 7°36′20.5″S 110°10′49.8″E / 7.605694°S 110.180500°E |
| Construction started | c. 1990 |
| Completed | incomplete, abandoned 2000 |
Gereja Ayam or Chicken Church is a common nickname for a uniquely shaped house of worship in the Magelang area in Central Java, Indonesia because the shape of the building resembles a hen to most people who see it, although the builder intended it to look like a dove.
History
The building was erected during the 1990s by Daniel Alamsjah, who claimed to have been inspired by God to build a prayer house through a dream he had in 1989. Alamsjah is Christian, but envisioned Gereja Ayam as a place to welcome followers of any religion for prayer or meditation.
Due to financial difficulties and local resistance, the construction was never finished. The construction was halted in 2000 and the building has since largely been left to deteriorate. Despite this, in recent years the place has become reasonably frequented by tourists, as well as by couples seeking either to take wedding photographs or to be wed in the building. Following depictions of the site in several films over the past decade, the church has achieved a level of fame and is now a tourist attraction. Its popularity with tourists has led to the building of a cafe in the chicken's rear selling drinks and Indonesian snacks.
Location
The Chicken Church is located in 2 villages, Karangrejo and Kembanglimus in Borobudur district. The location of the Chicken Church itself is called by Daniel Alamsyah as the Tourist Area. There is a cafe at the tail of the Chicken Church building. In addition from the cafe, in the Bukit Rhema area there is also a souvenir shop. This souvenir shop sells small and medium business snack products around Borobudur - Magelang.
Visitors can climb the stairs to the top of Merpati Peak and see the surrounding Central Java area. From the top, the Buddhist temple Borobudur Temple can be seen from a distance of 4.7 km.
The documentary Into the Inferno from 2016 devotes a segment to the church. It argues that the church was intended to have a connection with a local volcano, as the head of the dove points in the direction of the volcano. This place was also the location of the meeting of Cinta and Rangga in the film Ada Apa Dengan Cinta? 2.
References
- ^ Bramwell, David (30 May 2020). "Wing and a prayer: the bizarre Chicken Church of Java". The Guardian. Retrieved 30 May 2020.
- ^ "Gereja Ayam Tersembunyi di Balik Hutan Memiliki Misteri dan Hebohkan Dunia". Wartakota (in Indonesian). Retrieved 9 November 2016.
- ^ Abigail, Theodora Sarah (2 May 2018). "Meet the Man Behind Indonesia's Chicken Church". Atlas Obscura.
- ^ "Bukit Rhema Tours". Retrieved 17 August 2024.
- ^ "Bukit Rhema - Chicken Church Tourist Attraction |". Bukit Rhema (in Indonesian). Retrieved 9 April 2024.
- ^ Van Syckle, Katie. "What We Learned from Werner Herzog's New Movie About Volcanos". Men's Journal. Retrieved 11 December 2016.
- ^ "5 Chicken Churches, Places for Love and Rangga to Release Longing in AADC 2". Retrieved 9 November 2016.
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