Gereja Ayam
{{Short description|House of worship in Magelang, Indonesia}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2025}}
{{coord|7|36|20.5|S|110|10|49.8|E|display=title}}
{{Infobox building
| name = Gereja Ayam
| image = Gereja Ayam (34189927894).png
| image_size = 300
| caption = Hilltop view of Gereja Ayam
| native_name =
| address = Karangrejo Gombong, Kurahan, Kembanglimus, Kec. Borobudur, Magelang Regency, Central Java 56553, Indonesia
| location_country = Indonesia
| coordinates = {{coord|7|36|20.5|S|110|10|49.8|E}}
| status = Open to the public for tours and visitations
| start_date = {{circa|1990}}
| completion_date = Incomplete, abandoned in 2000
| building_type = Prayer house
| website = {{official website|bukitrhema.com/id/home}}
}}
Bukit Rhema, more commonly known by the nickname {{langnf|id|Gereja Ayam|Chicken Church}}, is an abandoned house of worship in the Magelang area in Central Java, Indonesia. The nickname comes from the unique shape of the building, which resembles a hen to most people who see it, although the builder intended it to look more like a dove.
History
The building was erected during the 1990s by Daniel Alamsjah, who claimed to have been inspired by God to build a prayer house through a dream he had in 1989. Alamsjah is Christian, but he envisioned Gereja Ayam as a place to welcome followers of any religion for prayer or meditation.{{Cite news|title=Wing and a prayer: the bizarre Chicken Church of Java|url=https://www.theguardian.com/travel/2020/may/30/bukit-rhema-bizarre-chicken-church-of-java-indonesia#maincontent|last=Bramwell|first=David|date=30 May 2020|access-date=30 May 2020|work=The Guardian}}
Due to financial difficulties and local resistance, the construction was never finished; it was halted in 2000, and the building has since largely been left to deteriorate. Despite this, in recent years, the place has become frequented by tourists as well as by couples seeking either to take wedding photographs or to be wed in the building. Following depictions of the site in several films over the past decade, the church has achieved a level of fame and is now a tourist attraction.{{Cite web|url=http://wartakota.tribunnews.com/2016/06/17/gereja-ayam-tersembunyi-di-balik-hutan-memiliki-misteri-dan-hebohkan-dunia|title=Gereja Ayam Tersembunyi di Balik Hutan Memiliki Misteri dan Hebohkan Dunia|language=id|website=Wartakota|access-date=9 November 2016}}
Structure and amenities
Gereja Ayam contains a cafe in the chicken's rear{{Cite web|url=http://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/who-built-the-chicken-church-indonesia|title=Meet the Man Behind Indonesia's Chicken Church|first=Theodora Sarah|last=Abigail|date=2 May 2018|website=Atlas Obscura}} as well as a souvenir shop.{{cite web|url=https://www.bukitrhema.com/en/home-2|title=Bukit Rhema Tours |access-date=17 August 2024}}
Visitors can climb the stairs to the top of the structure and view the surrounding Central Java area. The world's largest Buddhist temple, Borobudur, can be seen at a distance of 4.7 km.{{Cite web |title=Bukit Rhema – Chicken Church Tourist Attraction {{!}} |url=https://www.bukitrhema.com/id/home-2 |access-date=9 April 2024 |website=Bukit Rhema |language=id-ID}}
In popular culture
The 2016 Werner Herzog documentary film Into the Inferno devotes a segment to Gereja Ayam.{{Cite web |url=http://www.mensjournal.com/entertainment/articles/what-we-learned-from-werner-herzogs-new-movie-about-volcanos-w448141 |title=What We Learned from Werner Herzog's New Movie About Volcanos |last=Van Syckle |first=Katie |website=Men's Journal |access-date=11 December 2016}} The structure also features in the 2016 teen film Ada Apa Dengan Cinta? 2.{{Citation needed|date=May 2025}}
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- {{official website|bukitrhema.com/id/home}}