Wing and a prayer: the bizarre Chicken Church of Java

Meant to be a dove, but looking more like a hen, one man’s vision of a temple for all faiths has enjoyed an unlikely resurrection

Who hasn’t at some time in their life dreamed of building a secret underground temple, a giant golden llama or a monument to Shirley Bassey made entirely of Nobby’s Nuts? Such singular visions, however, remain unbuilt without the necessary ingredients of money, monomania and several hundred spare weekends. But add a catalysing crisis, epiphany or “calling”, and you’re away.

For Daniel Alamsjah, a devout Christian living in Java, Indonesia, his call came one night in 1988 in the form of a divine vision. Before him, Alamsjah saw a building shaped like a giant dove, residing on a hilltop. It would be, a disembodied voice affirmed, a place of worship for all faiths. And Alamsjah was just the man to build it.