Chicken Church

After sunrise in Yogyakarta we had some time before our first big temple visit at Borobudur, so we checked out another local attraction - Gereja Ayam, the so-called Chicken Church!

According to Wikipedia:

Gereja Ayam is the common nickname for an unusually shaped church in the area of Magelang in Central Java, Indonesia. The nickname, which translates to “chicken church” in English, arose because the structure’s shape resembles a hen to most onlookers, although the builder intended it to be the shape of a dove.

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 envisioned Gereja Ayam as a place to welcome followers of any religion for prayer or meditation.

We discovered the Chicken Church on a poster in town, and decided to follow up on it. We were not disappointed!

Information and ticket booth.
Walking up the hill, not knowing what to expect.
Getting closer!
Boom! Behold the glory!
Can you feel it?
An angel blows its horn.
Inside the body of the chicken, err… church.
But wait, there’s more.
Climbing into the neck and head of the chicken, the walls are covered with various moral and religious paintings.
Who needs drugs, when you’re inside of a giant holy chicken?
A series of staircases took us up into the head of the chicken.
View from the beak. The chicken points directly at Mount Merapi, an active volcano.
Stairway to heaven?
On top of the world.
The 360 degree views were actually pretty amazing.
Krista and our driver Sundari.
Stoked.
The valley below.
It was cool to see such an offbeat place during our day of visiting ancient temples. From “buk buk” to Buddha - better bounce to Borobudur!
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