A Romantic Trip with Your Partner to Bukit Rhema Chicken Church

Spending quality time with your partner is important. Whether it’s a romantic dinner, shared activities, or taking your loved one on a trip to a tourist destination.

For those who want to enjoy a holiday with their beloved, you don’t need to go abroad — Indonesia has plenty of fun and romantic places. Not just Bali or Lombok, cultural cities like Yogyakarta are also rich in exciting and romantic tourist spots.

One place you shouldn’t miss when visiting Yogyakarta is Punthuk Setumbu and Bukit Rhema. These two destinations were also witnesses to the romance of Cinta and Rangga in the film AADC 2. Very romantic, isn’t it?

Getting to Bukit Rhema

Bukit Rhema is a hilly area located in Dusun Gombong, Desa Kembanglimus, Kecamatan Borobudur, Magelang. The highlight and icon of this hill is an old building with a unique and distinctive architectural style, known as Gereja Ayam (Chicken Church).

The location of Gereja Ayam is about 45 kilometers from Yogyakarta city center. From Yogyakarta-Magelang direction, once you’ve passed the Palbapang intersection, turn left towards Borobudur District. About 2.5 km from Borobudur Temple, you’ll arrive in Desa Kembanglimus. After that, you’ll need to go up to Dusun Sembungan and Gombong.

Motorcycles and cars can be parked at the location for a fee of IDR 7,000–10,000 (for cars). If you’re coming from Punthuk Setumbu first, you only need to walk about 200 meters to reach Bukit Rhema.

No need to worry about steep hill roads — the path you’ll take has been proven safe and comfortable. The lush trees on both sides of the road will also add a cool and serene atmosphere to your romantic journey.

Gereja Ayam — House of Prayer for All

At first glance, this building does resemble a chicken with its neck, body, tail, head, and crown. But interestingly, at the beginning of its construction, this house of prayer was actually designed to resemble a dove.

According to Daniel Alamsjah, the initiator of this building’s construction, the dove is a symbol of peace. The original purpose of building this place was as a house of prayer for all servants of God — not just for Christians, but for all people who believe in God.

In the Catholic faith, the dove is also considered a symbol of the Holy Spirit that descended when Jesus was baptized — meaning the dove is also a symbol of sincerity, love, and gentleness. That is why this place was once also used as a rehabilitation and shelter facility for drug-addicted children and people with disabilities or mental disorders.

Unfortunately, due to limited funds for construction and maintenance, work on the building stopped and was abandoned. Since the structure completed at that time was the front side (shaped like a chicken’s head), the body, and the back (tail), locals called it Gereja Ayam rather than Gereja Merpati.

Exploring Bukit Rhema

Gereja Ayam has several sections: the ground level is the chicken’s body, the second level is the neck, the third level is the beak, and the fourth (highest) level is the crown.

On the ground floor, you’ll be presented with a large unpartitioned room, resembling a hall or worship space as in churches in general. There are also pillars and windows that appear abandoned, though they actually add to the building’s vintage feel.

Going up, you’ll arrive at the chicken’s neck section. Here there are parallelogram-shaped window openings allowing visitors to freely look outward — including seeing the body and tail of Gereja Ayam directly.

An even more beautiful view can be enjoyed from the beak section. Then, arriving at the very top (the crown), an open space of approximately 2×2 meters awaits you.

From the top of the building, you can enjoy a green and lush natural panorama from above. Even at dusk and in the early morning, you can enjoy a private sunset and sunrise from here. You can also see the grandeur of Borobudur Temple from the heights of Bukit Rhema.

Truly amazing, exciting, and romantic — all at once!

Getting to Bukit Rhema

Gereja Ayam — House of Prayer for All

Exploring Bukit Rhema

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