Ancestor altar house of two Commandery Dukes surnamed Nguyen

Overview of the house ground.

The Nguyen clan is a famous big clan of Chi Long in particular and Kinh Bac land in general since over generations. Many members worked as mandarins and held important positions in the Imperial court. The two typical clansmen were Mr. Nguyen Tien Co and Mr. Nguyen Dinh The (4^th generation grandchild of Mr. Nguyen Tien Co).

The main altar is located in the outer court of the house.

According to the ancient documents, Mr. Nguyen Tien Co was born in At Ty (1605) during the reign of King Le Kinh Tong. Since his childhood, he followed his mother into the palace. When he grew up, he was recruited as a mandarin in the Imperial court due to his excellence in both literatures and martial arts.

2 statues of the 2 Commandery Dukes.

Mr. Nguyen Tien Co not only had many merits for the Imperial Court but also for the people. When he returned to his hometown and witnessed residents of Yen Phong district suffering from flood, crop failure and famine, he wrote a petition to the Imperial court to build “Trang Cay” duke so that the flooding could be prevented and the people’s lives were improved. Moreover, he used his money to repair the ancestral hall and roads as well as restore communal house and pagoda…

The altars in the inner court.

Mr. Nguyen Tien Co had 3 sons, all of whom held important positions. Even his grandchildren also promoted the clan tradition.

The stone steles are still preserved in the house ground.

The 4^th generation grandchild of Mr. Nguyen Tien Co was Mr. Nguyen Dinh The. Despite his important position at the Imperial court, he remained calm, relaxed and concerned for the villagers. Furthermore, his wife came from a noble lineage so she was a dignified and virtuous person. She and her husband had many merits to the local such as: repairing pagodas, casting Buddha statues, building roads...

The house has an architectural structure of Chinese “Nhi” letter including 2 compartments. The outer court consists of 3 compartments with a wooden frame set. The door is opened in the central nave, facing South. The inner one has 3 compartments.

The altar throne and stele are kept in the house.

The ordinations.

The house is preserving some valuable typical artifacts such as 02 ordinations (1731, 1734); stele “Ha trum chuong quan bi ky” in 1649; tray and bronze incense bowl dating from the Nguyen Dynasty; worship statue and 2 stone unicorns.

The Rank Certificate of historical and cultural relic of the house.

The house is a place to worship the ancestors of the Nguyen clan and a place to reunite the descendants of the clan. The clan’s death anniversary is on the 6^th day of the 2^nd lunar month every year.