Trấn Biên Temple of Literature (Văn Miếu Trấn Biên) is a
Confucian temple located in
Bửu Long,
Biên Hòa,
Vietnam, the capital city of the
Đồng Nai Province. The temple was first built in 1715 in the area of
Đàng Trong. The Văn Miếu Trấn Biên was soon demolished by the French colonial administration in 1861, and was later restored to its original condition in 2002.
History
Establishment
In 1715,
Nguyễn Phúc Chu
Nguyễn Phúc Chu ( vi-hantu, , 1675 – 1 June 1725) was one of the Nguyễn lords who ruled southern Vietnam (Dang Trong) from 1691 to 1725.Anh Thư Hà, Hồng Đức Trần ''A Brief Chronology of Vietnam's History'' 2000 Page 163 "Nguy ...
, a Vietnamese warlord, sent a request to Governor Nguyễn Phan Long and Phạm Khánh Đức to build the Văn Miếu Trấn Biên to have a place to promote, preserve, and honor Confucian cultural values. The temple was first built in
southern Vietnam, before other temples were built in
Vĩnh Long
Vĩnh Long () is a city and the capital of Vĩnh Long Province in Vietnam's Mekong Delta. Vĩnh Long covers and has a population of 147,039 (as of 2009). The name was spelled 永 隆 ("eternal prosperity") in the former Hán Nôm writing syst ...
,
Gia Định
''Gia'' is a 1998 American biographical drama television film about the life and times of one of the first supermodels, Gia Carangi. The film stars Angelina Jolie as Gia and Faye Dunaway as Wilhelmina Cooper, with Mercedes Ruehl and Elizabeth ...
, and
Huế. Similar to the Văn Miếu in
Huế and the
Văn Miếu in Hanoi, the temple's purpose is to teach young students, and was built near many Biên Hòa provincial schools. Thus, in addition to a place of worship, the Văn Miếu Trấn Biên serves as a place of culture and education.
Restoration
The Văn Miếu Trấn Biên has undergone many restoration projects, being rebuilt twice during the
Nguyễn dynasty
The Nguyễn dynasty (chữ Nôm: 茹阮, vi, Nhà Nguyễn; chữ Hán: 阮朝, vi, Nguyễn triều) was the last Vietnamese dynasty, which ruled the unified Vietnamese state largely independently from 1802 to 1883. During its existence, ...
, and then restored again in 1998 after the French destroyed the historical site. The first "phase" of the 1998 restoration project began during Tet 2002, while the second phase is still under construction.
Another restoration project of the Văn Miếu Trấn Biên was launched to rebuild an ancient Confucius temple based in Bửu Long Ward, District, Biên Hoa, Đồng Nai province, with an investment of nearly VND 20 billion. The project was started on February 14, 2002, in celebration of 300 years of the Văn Miếu Trấn Biên.
In 2016, It has been recognised as national historical relic.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tran Bien Literature Temple
Confucian temples in Vietnam
Buildings and structures in Đồng Nai province
18th-century Confucian temples