Xuan Trach Communal House

Xuan Trach Communal House is located in the center of the village. According to the elders, this is the communal house rebuilt after the five Canh Tram villages separated their communal houses; based on architectural decoration and antiquities, it can be said that Xuan Trach communal house and temple were built in the Later Le period and restored in the Nguyen period. The first communal house was built near the foot of the dyke at a place called Khiem communal house; at that time it still had a massive curved dao-cuon roof and also had a Mother Goddess temple beside it. In the 4th year of Tu Duc (1851), the residents moved to the current area, so the communal house and temple were moved there as well. The architecture of the communal house was repaired, the side wings and dao were removed and narrowed, and the Mother Goddess temple was arranged right next to the rear sanctuary of the communal house. At the beginning of the 20th century, the temple was built separately in the position behind the communal house as it is today. In 1941, the wooden floor of the communal house was damaged and removed, and the central bay was paved with flower tiles (Hung Ky enamel tiles), while the temple had an arched porch added with a flower wall and balustrade. In recent years, the communal house and temple have undergone several repairs to small items such as replacing beams, re-tiling roofs, and preventing leaks, etc. The communal house worships the Archery God Quoc lang Minh Son Dai vuong, the fifth son of King Hung Nghi Vuong (the 17th Hung King).

Xuan Trach Communal House has a nghi mon gate in the form of four pillars; the high pillars are decorated with phoenix finials, lantern compartments with relief dragons, phoenixes, flowers and leaves. The central gate has a roof ridge decorated with a simplified stylized two dragons flanking the moon along with decorative patterns. The central gate has a simple roof and is built mainly of Bat Trang brick, roofed with local tiles, with curved dao. The two small gates on either side are simple, with two small pillars topped with unicorn and pearl decorations, and roofs plastered to imitate tiles.

The communal house faces south, with a floor plan in the shape of the character “đinh”, and is roofed with di tiles. The main communal house has 5 bays and 2 side wings built in the gable-end style with closed gables and hand-held thrones with decorative pillars. The roof ridge is decorated with kneeling nghe beasts at the two gable ends facing inward, and a moon face is placed in the center. The decorative pillars on both sides are relatively similar, topped with kneeling nghe beasts, and the panels depict the four sacred creatures and four seasons. The rear sanctuary of the communal house has 4 bays in the gable-end style with closed gables; two wooden trusses use tie beams supporting the truss frame in the gia chieng style, flanked by continuous braces and coffers, and braced beams. Two large beams run lengthwise, resting on tie beams and supporting the roof purlins.

On the architecture of the communal house, there are many carved panels on beams, dau du, and coffers in the artistic style of the late Later Le period. Almost all architectural components of the communal house are decorated, including dau du, beams, and well curtains. On the bodies of the braces and beams there are many carved panels with subjects and genres such as the four sacred creatures, four seasons, and interlaced chrysanthemum leaves. There are two main modes of expression in the style of the 18th-century Later Le and early 19th-century Nguyen. The carved panels are all made using openwork and high-relief carving techniques; the Nguyen period added near carving and four sacred creature motifs. Most of the dau du of the communal house are retained as in the initial construction period, with the dragon-grass-dao-mac motif in elongated threads. Some coffers made in the Nguyen period show the four sacred creatures theme carved elaborately in multiple layers with meticulous forms. The well-curtain carving preserved intact in the middle of the communal house is a beautiful work of art, demonstrating the talent and skill of the craftsmen. The main themes on the well curtain still focus on the four sacred creatures and five blessings, with influences from the I Ching and five elements... Among the relics in Dong Anh district, this is the most structurally elaborate, earliest, and most beautiful well curtain still extant.

Besides the exquisite, vivid, and valuable carved panels, Xuan Trach Communal House also preserves many precious relics such as: 11 beautiful royal edicts dating from the late Later Le period under the Canh Hung era to the Nguyen dynasty. The edicts mainly record that Xuan Trach worships the village tutelary god, the Archery God Quoc lang Cao Minh Son Dai vuong, with many beautiful honorific titles, and he was conferred the rank of Upper-class god; a stone stele dated the 9th year of Tu Duc (1856) inscribed “Xa than ngoc pha bi ky” records the merits of the village tutelary god and the Holy Mother worshipped by the village. In addition, the communal house also has a throne for the village tutelary god with a full set of offerings and a memorial tablet with elaborate decorative motifs and intricate, vivid carvings, lacquered and gilded; some wooden door curtains lacquered and gilded all bear the artistic style of the early 19th century.