THE ABANDONED CHURCH AND THE ESPANOL CEMETERY ON SƠN TRÀ MOUNTAIN

That day, while cycling to Tien Sa Port, I visited the Espanol Cemetery and happened to discover an abandoned church on Sơn Trà Mountain (Monkey Mountain), less than 100 meters away from the cemetery.

Surprisingly, thousands of results can be found on Google containing information related to “Espanol cemetery”, “Spanish cemetery” or “Ossuaire” but almost no information can be found about the abandoned church on Sơn Trà Mountain. That urged and made me curious to explore whether this abandoned church had any connection with Espanol Cemetery.

The abandoned church is situated on a hill near the entrance of the Navy Hotel at 3A Yet Kieu, Tho Quang Ward, Son Tra District, Da Nang City. From far along the road to Tien Sa Port, one can easily spot the church with its tower crowned by a cross reaching high into the sky. Its architecture is unusual compared to typical Catholic churches—it has only a front door and one side door, with the remaining sides closed off by thick walls, resembling a mausoleum or a crypt found in Europe.

Today, the church lies within an area managed by Naval Zone 3, and a barrier marked “No Entry” stands right at its entrance. A passing soldier noticed me hesitating by the barrier and kindly offered to show me around the exterior of the church. He explained that the church was built during the French colonial era and that its interior contains nothing more than a large stone table.

Turning back to the story of the Espanol Cemetery—also known as the Spanish Cemetery or Ossuaire by the French—the available documents and various articles on the subject reveal a common viewpoint. Most authors agree that, besides the 33 graves of French-Spanish allied officers buried together around the small church at the center of the cemetery, there are thousands of iron boxes containing the remains of allied soldiers that were exhumed from various places and interred under the church at the cemetery. I, too, believed this until I discovered the abandoned church just under 100 meters away from the Espanol Cemetery.

This raises an important question: Were the 1,500 remains interred beneath the church at the Espanol Cemetery, or under the abandoned church on Sơn Trà Mountain?

A document dated May 25, 1921, from École française d’Extrême-Orient (EFEO), addressed to the Governor-General of Indochina, Paul Doumer, states:

“I wish to bring to your attention the dilapidated state of the cemetery on Tien Sa Peninsula, north of Tourane, where infantry and navy soldiers of the French and Spanish, belonging to Admiral Rigault de Genouilly’s fleet, are buried. Approximately 1,500 remains have been exhumed and gathered into a public vault around which a church was erected. This church has fallen into ruin, its doors damaged. Surrounding the church are several graves of French and Spanish officers, including that of Lieutenant Duppré Déroulède, who was killed on the warship Némésis on November 18, 1859…”

I am not a professional researcher, but after visiting both the Espanol Cemetery and the abandoned church, I believe that the abandoned church on Son Tra Mountain is indeed linked to the Espanol Cemetery and the 1,500 remains of the French-Spanish allied soldiers. It is possible that these remains were consolidated and interred beneath the foundation of the abandoned church rather than under the monument at the Espanol Cemetery. My hypothesis is based on the following observations:

1. The so-called church at the Espanol Cemetery is not truly a church (église) but rather a monument. Evidence for this is a stone plaque on its right wall stating that the monument (the term “monument” is used) was built in 1898 by Captain Treille and local artisans, with the names of the founders—led by Governor-General Paul Doumer—listed below.

2. The foundation of the monument at the Espanol Cemetery is very small—only 12 m²—insufficient to accommodate 1,500 iron boxes containing remains. In contrast, the abandoned church near the cemetery has a foundation exceeding 100 m², suitable for a large public vault as described in the document of École française d’Extrême-Orient .

3. The architecture of the abandoned church is very enclosed, resembling a crypt or a collective mausoleum typical of Europe.

4. It is possible that the abandoned church was built to house the remains of the allied soldiers after the church at the Espanol Cemetery had fallen into disrepair, as mentioned in the École française d’Extrême-Orient’s report sent to Governor-General Paul Doumer.

5. No one would build a church on Son Tra Mountain where there is no local congregation; therefore, this structure is likely a mausoleum or crypt designed to hold the 1,500 iron boxes with remains beneath its foundation.

CONCLUSION

Mr. Old Man is merely an outsider with a passion for cycling and exploring historical relics. I hope the explanations above can assist researchers of cultural and historical heritage—especially those involved in the conservation work at Da Nang museums—in reexamining this issue to shed light on the mysteries still surrounding the Espanol Cemetery and the abandoned church on Sơn Trà Mountain.

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Mr. Old Man