An Abandoned Indonesian Church Shaped Like a Massive Chicken

At the heart of the mountains of Central Java, Indonesia lies an abandoned church in the shape of a giant chicken that has the body, tail, and head of the bird, even holding open its beak. Gereja called Ayam (“Chicken Church”) by the locals, the church attracts photographers and explorers from around the world on the hills of Magelang, every year, although it has been closed since 2000 due to construction too expensive.

The story behind this structure is a man named Daniel Alamsjah, aged 67, said it had received a divine message telling him to build a house of prayer in the form of a dove. Despite his Christian belief, Alamsjah imagined this temple as a church that would welcome all religions. No longer a place for therapy, the building still serves as a place for worship and travel and according to locals, while the basement is occupied by drug addicts, children with disabilities and psychologically unstable people.