The Kính Thiên Palace (; vi-hantu, 敬天殿) was the central structure of the imperial palace complex of the

Later Lê dynasty Later may refer to: * Future, the time after the present Television * ''Later'' (talk show), a 1988–2001 American talk show * '' Later... with Jools Holland'', a British music programme since 1992 * ''The Life and Times of Eddie Roberts'', or ...

, located in its capital Đông Kinh (present-day

Hanoi Hanoi ( ; ; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Vietnam, second-most populous city of Vietnam. The name "Hanoi" translates to "inside the river" (Hanoi is bordered by the Red River (Asia), Red and Black River (Asia), Black Riv ...

). The palace hall was renamed Long Thiên Palace (; vi-hantu, 隆天殿) in 1841 during the reign of Emperor

Thiệu Trị Thiệu Trị (, vi-hantu, wikt:紹, 紹wikt:治, 治, lit. "inheritance of prosperity"; 6 June 1807 – 4 November 1847), personal name Nguyễn Phúc Miên Tông or Nguyễn Phúc Tuyền, was the third emperor of the Nguyễn dynasty. He was th ...

of the

Nguyễn dynasty The Nguyễn dynasty (, chữ Nôm: 茹阮, chữ Hán: 朝阮) was the last List of Vietnamese dynasties, Vietnamese dynasty, preceded by the Nguyễn lords and ruling unified Vietnam independently from 1802 until French protectorate in 1883 ...

. The Kính Thiên Palace was built in the heart of the Imperial Citadel, on the exact spot where the Thiên An Palace of the

Lý dynasty The Lý dynasty (, , chữ Nôm: 茹李, chữ Hán: 朝李, Vietnamese language, Vietnamese: ''triều Lý''), officially Đại Cồ Việt (chữ Hán: 大瞿越) from 1009 to 1054 and Đại Việt (chữ Hán: 大越) from 1054 to 1225, was ...

once stood, on the peak of Nùng Mountain. On its right stood the Chí Kinh Palace, and on its left, the Vạn Thọ Palace. Directly facing it was the Thị Triều Palace, where monthly court audiences were held. In front of the Thị Triều Palace was the Đoan Môn Gate. According to the ''

Đại Việt sử ký The ''Đại Việt sử ký'' (, vi-hantu, 大越史記, ''Annals of Đại Việt'') is the official historical text of the Trần dynasty, that was compiled by the royal historian Lê Văn Hưu and was finished in 1272. Considered the first ...

'' (Annals of Đại Việt), the Kính Thiên Palace was initially constructed in 1428 during the reign of

Lê Thái Tổ Le is a romanization of several rare East Asian surnames and a common Vietnamese surname. It is a fairly common surname in the United States, ranked 975th during the 1990 census and 368th during the 2000 census. In 2000, it was the eighth-most-co ...

. Its completion occurred during the reign of

Lê Thánh Tông Lê Thánh Tông (黎聖宗; 25 August 1442 – 3 March 1497), personal name Lê Hạo, temple name Thánh Tông, courtesy name Tư Thành, was an emperor of Đại Việt, reigning from 1460 to 1497, the fifth and the longest-reigning empero ...

. The Kính Thiên Palace served as the location where Lê Thái Tổ proclaimed his ascension to the throne in 1428. It subsequently became the venue for significant court rituals, the reception of foreign emissaries, imperial conferences convened to deliberate on matters of state, and the performance of sacrifices. In 1816, Emperor

Gia Long Gia Long (Chữ Hán, Chữ hán: 嘉隆) ( (''Hanoi, North''), (''Ho Chi Minh City, South''); 8 February 1762 – 3 February 1820), born Nguyễn Phúc Ánh (阮福暎) or Nguyễn Ánh (阮暎), was the founding emperor of the Nguyễn dynas ...

of the

ordered the reconstruction of this palace. It was later used as a temporary imperial residence by successive Nguyễn dynasty emperors during their journeys northward. In 1841, Emperor Thiệu Trị renamed the palace as the Long Thiên Palace. The pair of flanking stone dragons in front of the palace and the stone steps have been preserved since the early Lê dynasty (15th century). In 1886, the palace was destroyed by French colonial authorities to make way for an artillery command center. Today, only the steps and foundation of the palace remain, located within the present-day Hanoi Old Quarter.

References

{{Reflist Palaces in Vietnam

See also

References