Wat
Chùa Phật Lớn (Rạch Giá)
Chùa Phật Lớn is a Khmer Theravada Buddhist Wat at 151 Quang Trung street in Rạch Giá ward, An Giang province, Vietnam.[1] It is a national relic of history and art.[1]
History
The Wat took shape around 1504. It moved three times and has stood on its present site since 1884. In the former Kiên Giang province it was one of 75 Theravada Wats.[1]
During the war against France, French troops brought 32 imprisoned resistance fighters from the Rạch Giá prison to the Wat and shot them there, in reprisal for an attack at Sóc Xoài; they threatened the monks and searched the grounds. After the troops left, the monks buried the 32 fighters behind the Wat, where a memorial stele now stands.[1]
On December 28, 2001, the Minister of Culture and Information recognized Chùa Phật Lớn as a national relic of history and art (Decision 53/2001/QĐ-BVHTT).[1] By then the buildings had badly deteriorated. Restoration of the main hall, the fence and the courtyard began in 2010, funded with 16 billion đồng from a national target program.[1]
Architecture
The decoration is lacquered in red and gilded: reliefs, Buddha images, a four-faced Maha Prum (Brahma), the Maha Krud (Garuda, a bird deity), female deities, dragons, wild beasts and monkeys.[1]
Religious life
On April 7, 2026, ahead of Khmer New Year (Chol Chnam Thmey), a delegation from the ward visited Chùa Phật Lớn to offer New Year greetings and gifts to the Khmer community.[2]