Tu Duong Communal House
Introduction
Type and Ranking: It is an ancient architectural and artistic relic. It was recognized and ranked by Decision No. 138/QD signed by the Minister of Culture, Information and Sports as National-level Relic on January 31, 1992.
2. Worshipped Figure and Historical Value
Worshiped figures at the communal house: The communal house worships the 'Third Prince of the Great Dragon King' – one of the 100 children of Lac Long Quan and Au Co.
Divine legend (cultural hero of the Hung King era): Legend tied to early water control and conquest of nature during the nation-building period. Legend says that, obeying his father the king, he commanded 50 water deities and 50 mountain deities to repel the 'water enemy' (flood) threatening the land of Son Minh, thereby establishing Tu Duong village on favorable land shaped like a 'dragonfly in flight', with its head embracing a pond.
3. Architectural and Artistic Characteristics
Tu Duong Communal House: Located in the center, at the highest point of the village (terrain shaped like a dragon's head), with its door facing south overlooking the clear Thuy Lagoon.
Layout: It includes the Pillar Gate, the Main Worship Hall, and the Rear Sanctuary.
Architecture & Sculpture: The Main Worship Hall is massive, with 7 bays and 2 side annexes, closed gable walls, and a roof ridge adorned with two dragon ends. Its structure consists of 8 trusses and 4 rows of columns (the four main columns are 0.4 m in diameter and rest on carved stone bases with motifs of the four sacred creatures, the bagua, and bronze drums). Wood carvings are concentrated in the corner brackets, beam ends, and eave brackets, with themes such as 'dragon rolling water', dragons, horses, flowers and leaves, pine and apricot, and animals (tigers, deer, cats, phoenix birds), strongly reflecting agricultural life. The openwork-carved scroll bears a 'two dragons flanking the moon' motif and is inscribed with the three characters 'Ngự đường cù'.
4. System of Relics and Antiquities
At the communal house: Preserved are 01 divine genealogy book (Hong Phuc first year - 1572); 40 royal edicts (32 edicts from the Le dynasty, the earliest being the 6th year of Sung Khang - 1586, and 8 edicts from the Nguyen dynasty). In addition, there are 5 worship thrones (1 throne for the Great Dragon King and 4 thrones for local earth deities), an eight-bearer palanquin, an incense table, a shrine cabinet, 3 scrolls, and a long sword and eight treasures. Notably, there is a spirit tablet carved with a figure wearing a crown placed in a large red-lacquered and gilded throne.
5. Protection work and relic zoning
According to the record dated December 28, 1991, and the cadastral map, the entire Tu Duong Communal House and Pagoda relic complex is strictly demarcated as a protection zone:
Protection zone (Zone I - Inviolable): Including all land parcels No. 444, 445, 446, 441, 440, 439, 436, 435. Boundaries: East borders parcels 448, 437, 438, 433; West borders the stone gate lane and part of parcels 449, 450, 491, 490; South borders the three-way village lane and parcel 492; North borders the pagoda lane and parcels 355, 361, 362, 365.
Construction adjustment zone (Zone II): Including parcels 444, 445, 446, 441, 440, 439, 435, 449, 450, 491, 490, 355, 361, 362, 365. Any construction activity here must obtain permission from the Provincial People's Committee and the opinion of the Ministry/Department of Culture.
The management, restoration, and use of the relic must strictly comply with the Ordinance on the Protection and Use of Historical and Cultural Relics.
