Beautiful architectural works in Sa Pa

Sa Pa makes a strong impression with its architectural works of historical and cultural significance. Let's take a look at the legendary ancient architectural works, which are symbols of Sa Pa tourism : Sa Pa Stone Church Sa Pa Ancient Church (or Our Lady of the Rosary Church), located in the center of town, is a famous Sa Pa tourist destination, built by the French in the early 20th century.

Sapa Stone Church.

Before construction, the French carefully researched to choose the location, in front is a large flat land, behind is Ham Rong mountain. The ancient stone church of Sa Pa was built with its head facing the sunrise, because according to them this is the direction to receive the light of God. At the end of the church is the bell tower facing the West - the birthplace of Christ. The architecture of the church is in the Roman Gothic style with the roof, arches and bell tower... all having a pyramid shape, creating a graceful appearance for the building. The entire church is built of stone chiseled with a mixture of lime, sand, and molasses. The wall of the cross is roughened to look like stalactites flowing down, creating a very natural beauty. The ceiling made of lime and straw has now been renewed, but the ceiling on the bell tower is made of a mixture of lime, iron and straw, still in its original state. The total area of the church is about 6000m2, divided into many areas: Church, monk's house, parish house, livestock area, angel house, yard, holy garden and fence. In which, the angel house area includes: 3 upper floors dedicated to treating sick people or overnight travelers, a basement, kitchen, toilet... The church area is 500m2 wide, including 7 rooms and a bell tower with a bell cast in 1932, weighing 500kg and 1.5m high. Ta Phin Ancient Monastery Ta Phin Monastery is located in Ta Phin village, about 12km east of Sa Pa town center, a popular tourist destination. The monastery is located at the foot of the mountain, built in 1942. This used to be the place of practice of 12 ascetic nuns belonging to the order of nuns of the Christian reformed missionary church. In 1945, the nuns returned to Hanoi , so the convent was abandoned.

Ta Phin ancient monastery.

Overall, the monastery consists of a 5-room house with the main direction facing west, 3 floors high, which is the residence and living place of the nuns. All that remains now are stone walls covered with moss over the years. It can be said that the monastery is a different world with the typical beauty of Europe, completely separate from the space of Sa Pa mountains and forests. The walls are made entirely of laterite, and inside are solid walls and windows. Cat Cat ancient hydroelectric power plant Located next to Tien Sa waterfall, the relic of Cat Cat hydroelectric power plant is like a highlight in the picture of Cat Cat village tourist area - one of the famous tourist destinations in Sa Pa. Visitors following the valley on the small steep road from the village down to the waterfall area will encounter the image of an old, mossy iron electric pole, with a small sign attached with the words: "Electric pole since 1925".

Cat Cat ancient hydroelectric power plant.

Cat Cat Hydropower Plant is one of the first two hydropower plants built by the French in Sa Pa. After nearly 100 years, to this day, Cat Cat Hydropower Plant is still protected and preserved to preserve its historical values as well as serve tourism. Because at this time, the transportation of materials and equipment from Lao Cai railway station to the construction site was very difficult, so the construction took many years to complete. It is known that construction materials were transported from France by ship to Hai Phong port, then transported by train to Lao Cai. According to historical documents, Cat Cat Hydropower Plant had an initial design capacity of 50 kW/h, mainly providing electricity for the telegraph system and serving the daily life of French officers and soldiers. In 1953, during the bandit suppression movement, to avoid sabotage, the local government decided to move the generator system to Yen Bai for preservation, so the project stopped operating. In 1960, when the Poles built a geophysical station in Sa Pa district, they studied and supported the repair and restoration of the Cat Cat hydroelectric plant. Polish experts designed and ordered a new generator turbine in the host country to increase the capacity of the Cat Cat hydroelectric plant to 100 kW/h, providing enough electricity for the geophysical station and some of Sa Pa's headquarters at that time. The ancient villas in the Sa Pa Tourism Trade Union Hotel , you cannot miss the ancient French villas. In the area of more than 2 hectares of the Trade Union Hotel, there are 8 buildings built in French architecture, however, only 2 buildings remain original, 3 buildings have been restored and 3 buildings have been newly built on the foundation of the old villas. The villas were built between 1937 and 1941. Each villa has an area of more than 200 m2 with a height of 2 - 3 floors.

Traveling to Sa Pa, you cannot miss the ancient French villas.

The villas are all built on contour lines, with green areas, flower gardens, stone fences and beautiful views. The talented architects have chosen stone materials to build the walls of the houses. Each stone is bonded together with honey and salt. Roofing tiles and floor tiles are made in France under the brand name SATIC. Although after hundreds of years of weathering, the red tiles are no longer fresh, but are still durable. Source: https://vtcnews.vn/nhung-cong-trinh-kien-truc-dep-o-sa-pa-ar844671.html