The 'Chicken Church'

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  • 1/11
    The giant building known locally as Gereja Ayam - or Chicken Church - stands over the trees in a densely wooded area in Indonesia
    1/11 The giant building known locally as Gereja Ayam - or Chicken Church - stands over the trees in a densely wooded area in Indonesia
  • 2/11
    Daniel Alamsjah was working in Jakarta - 342 miles away from where the prayer house stands - when he says he 'suddenly got a divine message from God' to build a 'prayer house' in the form of a dove
    2/11 Daniel Alamsjah was working in Jakarta - 342 miles away from where the prayer house stands - when he says he 'suddenly got a divine message from God' to build a 'prayer house' in the form of a dove
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    Now hundreds of travelers, tourists and worshipers visit the abandoned and unfinished building every year
    3/11 Now hundreds of travelers, tourists and worshipers visit the abandoned and unfinished building every year
  • 4/11
    The building is unstable but brave visitors still explore inside.
    4/11 The building is unstable but brave visitors still explore inside.
  • 5/11
    Underneath the giant Chicken Church are 12 unfinished chambers which have been used as secluded rooms to rehabilitate 'children and drug addicts'
    5/11 Underneath the giant Chicken Church are 12 unfinished chambers which have been used as secluded rooms to rehabilitate 'children and drug addicts'
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    One traveler described how there are as many as 15 rooms inside the crumbling prayer house and some of them even have beds
    6/11 One traveler described how there are as many as 15 rooms inside the crumbling prayer house and some of them even have beds
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    The light dances off the side of the giant Chicken Church, which was built in the 1990s on the hills of Magelang, Central Java
    7/11 The light dances off the side of the giant Chicken Church, which was built in the 1990s on the hills of Magelang, Central Java
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    On the upper floor of the church is an eerie and dark room that was once used as the prayer room
    8/11 On the upper floor of the church is an eerie and dark room that was once used as the prayer room
  • 9/11
    Travel bloggers who have visited the church say pillars holding up the church are either damaged or crumbling.
    9/11 Travel bloggers who have visited the church say pillars holding up the church are either damaged or crumbling.
  • 10/11
    Around 30 local villages helped Alamsjah build the Chicken Church and they now benefit from the increased tourism it has created
    10/11 Around 30 local villages helped Alamsjah build the Chicken Church and they now benefit from the increased tourism it has created
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    Alamsjah bought the 3,000 square metres of land where the church is built for two million rupees - or NZ $250 - which he paid off over four years
    11/11 Alamsjah bought the 3,000 square metres of land where the church is built for two million rupees - or NZ $250 - which he paid off over four years

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Hidden deep inside the Indonesian jungle lies an enchanted 'church' which looks like a giant chicken.

The building itself has been abandoned for years but still attracts hundreds of curious travellers and photographers.

The creator believes the building is neither church nor chicken. Take a look at the photos and decide for yourself what you think this creation actually is...Â