Gereja Ayam, An Unfinished Temple That Looks Like a Giant Chicken Sitting on Mountain in Central Java

Chicken Church
image via Uzone

In 1990, an Indonesian man named Daniel Alamsjah was working in the capital city of Jakarta when he received an unexpected divine message instructing him to create a prayer house in the shape of a dove atop a mountain in Magelang, Central Java. The resulting unfinished structure, known as Gereja Ayam, however, is more of a chicken than a dove.

In 2012, artists Ade Itameda and Lielo visited the Chicken Church and documented the adventure.

From Below
image via Alek Kurniawan

Chicken Head
image via Alek Kurniawan

Sides
image via Alek Kurniawan

Back of the Chicken Church
image via 369

via 369, UZone

Lori Dorn
Lori Dorn

Lori is a Laughing Squid Contributing Editor based in New York City who has been writing blog posts for over a decade. She also enjoys making jewelry, playing guitar, taking photos and mixing craft cocktails.