CHURCH AND GRAVE OF DR. PHAM NGUYEN DU – NGHI LOC

Pham Nguyen Du was born in 1739, other names are Hieu Duc, Thach Dong, a native of Dang Dien village, Dang Xa Canton, Chau Phuc district, now Tien Lac village, Nghi Xuan commune, Nghi Loc district, Nghe An province. He passed the Nguyen Prize in 1773, and passed the prize of Hoi Nguyen (Hoang Giap) in 1779, during the reign of King Le Hien Tong.

Pham Nguyen Du is an integrite, honest mandarin who has made many contributions to the country during the reign of King Le and Lord Trinh. Pham Nguyen Du is also a famous writer in the 18^th century, with many valuable works such as: Nam Hanh Ky Dac Tap, Doan Truong Luc, Thach Dong Tien Sinh Thi Tap, Doc Su Si Tuong, etc. left an indelible mark in the history of Vietnamese literature.

Pham Nguyen Du died in 1786, in his hometown. According to his testament, the people and descendants buried his body in the garden where he was born and grown up. The church was also built 300 meters next to it, leaning against the mass of Truong Nhan Phong mountain (also known as Lap Thach mountain).

The church consists of 2 buildings: worship house, Back street. The front is embossed with Braille "Pham Dai Ton". On the porch of worship house, there is a stone stele with the title "Pham Gia Thach Ky". The content of the stone stele is a summary of the family biography and background & career of Dr. Pham Nguyen Du. In Back street, many valuable documents are kept, helping us to understand more deeply about the life of a pure Confucianist who made great contributions to the people, the country and the customs and laws of the country and locality or family in contemporary feudal history.  

Pham Nguyen Du's grave was built on a flat land lot of 28m2, 300m from the Church from the southeast. The entire grave area was built with stucco, and has been restored many times by descendants. Currently, both the grave and the church are well cared for and invested by the authorities at all levels and their descendants.

The church and the grave of Dr. Pham Nguyen Du is a place to keep the skeleton, a place to commemorate and pay tribute to the famous god who made many contributions to the revival. Ancient Relic, valuable in history, culture, science and art. Therefore, on January 24, 1998, the Ministry of Culture and Information issued Decision No. 95-1998-QD/BVHTT to recognize as a national historical-cultural Site.