Wat Niwet Thammaprawat Ratchaworawihan ( th, วัดนิเวศธรรมประวัติราชวรวิหาร) is a Buddhist temple (''
wat
A wat ( km, វត្ត, ; lo, ວັດ, ; th, วัด, ; khb, 「ᩅᨯ᩠ᨰ」(waD+Dha); nod, 「ᩅ᩠ᨯ᩶」 （w+Da2)) is a type of Buddhist temple and Hindu temple in Cambodia, Laos, East Shan State, Yunnan, the Southern Provi ...
'') of the
Dhammayut Order, located within the grounds of the
Bang Pa-In Royal Palace
)
, former_names =
, alternate_names =
, image = Bang Pa-In Royal Palace - Bang Pa-In.jpg
, image_alt =
, caption = Aisawan Dhiphya-Asana Pavilion
, map_type = Thailand
, map_alt ...
in
Thailand
Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is b ...
's
Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya Province. Founded in 1878, it is remarkable among Thai Buddhist temples in that its architecture mimics that of a European church, being built in the
Gothic Revival
Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic, neo-Gothic, or Gothick) is an architectural movement that began in the late 1740s in England. The movement gained momentum and expanded in the first half of the 19th century, as increasingly ...
style.
History
The construction of Wat Niwet Thammaprawat was commissioned by King
Chulalongkorn
Chulalongkorn ( th, จุฬาลงกรณ์, 20 September 1853 – 23 October 1910) was the fifth monarch of Siam under the House of Chakri, titled Rama V. He was known to the Siamese of his time as ''Phra Phuttha Chao Luang'' (พร� ...
(Rama V) in 1876, to serve as the royal temple for the newly expanded
Bang Pa-In Palace
Bang Pa-In Royal Palace ( th, พระราชวังบางปะอิน), also known as the Summer Palace, is a palace complex formerly used by the Thai kings. It lies beside the Chao Phraya River in Bang Pa-in District, Phra Nakhon Si ...
. The temple was designed by
Joachim Grassi
Joachim Grassi (Italian spelling Gioachino, 1837 – 19 August 1904) was a Austria-Hungary, Austro-Hungarian architect of Italian descent who worked for the Siamese government in the late nineteenth century. He was among the first European archit ...
, one of the first Italian architects employed under the king's government. Many public buildings were built in the Western style during Chulalongkorn's reign, a trend reflecting the modernisation of Siam (as Thailand was then known) at the time. Wat Niwet Thammaprawat was built in
Gothic Revival
Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic, neo-Gothic, or Gothick) is an architectural movement that began in the late 1740s in England. The movement gained momentum and expanded in the first half of the 19th century, as increasingly ...
style, with stained glass windows and a Gothic altar. Its appearance resembles that of a Christian church, with the temple's main Buddha image in place of a Cross. Construction was completed in 1878.
Status and location
Wat Niwet Thammaprawat is a royal temple, first-class, of the ''ratchaworawihan'' type, and is one of the sixteen temples which receive annual royal ''
kathina
Kathina is a Buddhist festival which comes at the end of Vassa, the three-month rainy season retreat for Theravada Buddhists in Bangladesh (known as Kaṭhina Cībar Dān), Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Sri Lanka, India, Thailan ...
'' offerings. It falls under the
Dhammayut Order of Thai Theravada Buddhism. It is a registered historic monument, and received the
ASA Architectural Conservation Award in 1989.
The temple is located on an island of the
Chao Phraya River
The Chao Phraya ( or ; th, แม่น้ำเจ้าพระยา, , or ) is the major river in Thailand, with its low alluvial plain forming the centre of the country. It flows through Bangkok and then into the Gulf of Thailand.
Et ...
, next to Bang Pa-in Royal Palace, in Ban Len Subdistrict,
Bang Pa-in District
Bang Pa-in ( th, บางปะอิน, ) is one of the 16 districts (''amphoe'') of Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya province, central Thailand.
History
Bang Pa-in was established in the Ayutthaya era in the name ''Khwaeng'' Uthai. In the Rattanakos ...
,
Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya Province. It is nowadays accessible by a cable car from the palace.
See also
*
Buddhism in Thailand
Buddhism in Thailand is largely of the Theravada school, which is followed by 95 percent of the population. Thailand has the second largest Buddhist population in the world, after China, with approximately 64 million Buddhists. Buddhism in ...
*
Holy Redeemer Church, Bangkok - a Catholic church built in Thai style
References
External links
*
{{First-Class Royal Monasteries
Buddhist temples in Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya Province
Gothic Revival architecture in Thailand
1878 establishments in Siam
19th-century Buddhist temples
Thai Dhammayut Buddhist temples
Buildings and structures on the Chao Phraya River
Registered ancient monuments in Thailand