History of Ayutthaya - Temples & Ruins

WAT NANG CHI 1 (วัดนางชี)

Wat Nang Chi is a "disappeared" temple that was once connected to a chain of Chinese
pagodas north of Khlong Pratu J in. This canal - now buried - once flowed along an
east-west axis toward the Chinese Gate (Pratu Jin), intersecting with Khlong Pratu Khao
Pluak (the canal that once flowed from north to south in front of Wat Maha T hat). The
nearest modern landmark is Chiresat Witthayalai School.

However, it was dropped from the Fine Arts Department maps of 1957 and 1993. This
temple can be classified as "disappeared", and no trace of it can be found today. It may
be safe to assume that Wat Nang Chi was architecturally lost sometime after 1926,
though it could have remained a ruin for some time beforehand. It is not clear what this
temple ever looked like.

It isn't clear when Wat Nang Chi was originally founded or when it disappeared. During
the Ayutthaya period, a large population of Chinese maritime traders settled in this area,
and this temple was situated by a road known as China Street. Engelbert Kaempfer
wrote in 1727 that China Street was made of brick and included some of the best houses
in the city (p 44). In addition to the Chinese population; French, Dutch, Muslim, and
English merchants also resided along this road - including the Greek opportunist,
Constantine Faulcon. China Street is also documented on the French map by Sieur de La
Mare.

This temple probably "disappeared" as a new population moved into the neighborhood
during the Ratanakosin period. Khlong Pratu Chin and Khlong Pratu Khao Pluak were
both buried in the rush to modernize the city. Subsequent road construction also took a
heavy toll.