One such example is the Cingliao Holy Cross Catholic Church in Tainan County’s Houbi Township. Its angled aluminum roof stands in stark contrast to the surrounding green rice paddies and brick hamlets of the southern Taiwanese village. Yet it is easily missed if one’s eyes are only focused on the road ahead. And the initial feeling of awe turns into serenity as one walks through the courtyard into the cool, hushed church.
The parish priest, Francois Verny, stands ready to greet visitors. A French native who speaks eloquent Holo Taiwanese, he leads the group to the baptism basin set in the center of a pavilion to the left of the entrance. Looking up from here, the eyes travel along the line of the church’s cone-shaped roof to a cross at the top.
Until recently, this house of worship was relatively obscure. But in recent years, more curious visitors have come knocking at its door wanting to look around. So Verny decided to arrange guided tours at specific times during the day. “I have to accommodate the needs of visitors while keeping peace for the rest of the people here,” he said.
One of the main reasons for the increasing number of visitors is the “rediscovery” of the church as an early work of German architect Gottfried Boehm, the 1986 Pritzker Architecture Prize laureate and the man behind many buildings across Germany and in other countries, including churches, town halls, public housing and office towers.
The exoticness of the construction against its rural backdrop is as striking now as when it was first erected in 1960. The four steeples, topped respectively with the Christian symbols of a cross, a crown, a dove and a rooster, make this church a local landmark. Made of slate, brick and concrete, and with wooden-framed doors, it manages to imbue visitors with a feeling of cool tranquility that one would find in a less imposing structure.
Its construction is credited to the efforts of the first parish priest, Eric Jansen. Jansen began missionary work in the area in 1955, doing everything he could to befriend the local people while raising funds to build a church. Through another German priest based in Tainan County, Jansen commissioned the Hesse-born Boehm for a blueprint.
Boehm is the son of Dominikus Boehm, one of Europe’s most respected architects of Roman Catholic churches and ecclesiastical buildings. He designed the Cingliao church, one of his first overseas commissions, without visiting the site. Local architect Yang Jia-ching drew detailed plans and sourced suitable materials for the building. Recently discovered blueprints of the church include 32 by Boehm and 39 by Yang, according to the National Taiwan Museum.
“The building was significant in Boehm’s career and should be considered one of Taiwan’s notable post-war structures,” said Wang Chun-hsiung, an associate professor of architecture at the Taipei County-based Tamkang University.
The main church, standing to the center right of the compound, is enfolded by dormitories and a kindergarten. Wang pointed out that this arrangement on a square compound imparts rationality and mystique at the same time.
Walking into the main church, one is struck by a similar spatial drama. This time, a narrow corridor unfolds to yield the central altar, where there is a life-sized crucifix under an octagonal roof. Verny offered an explanation, relating the shape to bagua, or the Eight Trigrams in Taoist cosmology.
“The bagua actually has a connection with our faith,” Verny said. “The eighth day is the first day of a new week, and [in Christianity] it is the day of salvation, of new creation, following the first week of God’s creation. So it fits into the Chinese bagua for its meaning of harmony, as Christ comes to renew harmony.”
There is a large incense burner in front of the altar, an ancestral plaque on the left and a chapel containing the Blessed Sacrament on the right. An ancestral plaque is very common in Taiwanese households, and according to Verny, its presence in the church is not in contradiction with Christian faith. “For people to pray here, it’s an act of filial piety, an act of remembering, to show respect and gratitude to their deceased family members.”
As to the incense burner, the priest said local Protestant churches forbid the burning of incense, seeing it as idolatry. “It is very clear for our believers here that the meaning of our religious act lies in our heart. The same gesture of burning incense has different meanings: one is adoration, a complete surrender to God, and the other is respect and remembrance for ancestors,” he said.
The church uses the same kind of incense that Taiwanese burn in folk religion rituals, he added. “Whichever, the local one or the Western type, the fumes always go in the same direction. That means God hears our prayers, and he is looking after us.”
The same goes for the bo, the Buddhist singing bowl, which is used in this church during consecration. “Visitors are often touched to see these in this countryside church because it shows respect for the local culture,” Verny said.
Outside, the aluminium towers glitter in the sunshine. One may wonder why Yang decided to use this particular material half a century ago, when Taiwan had yet to grow economically. Yet as to the shape, glimpse at a picture displayed in a room documenting the church’s history offers a clue. It shows how masses were held before the chapel was completed: People congregated in the open air under a conical thatched roof pavilion. It was said this portrait might have inspired Boehm in his design for the church.
Whether this is true or not, the passage of time and the constant stream of visitors and worshippers do help endow the building with a personality of its own. And this is just what Boehm was famous for and had promised in a speech once: “A building is a human being’s space and the background for his dignity, and its exterior should reflect its contents and function. New buildings should fit naturally into their surroundings, both architecturally and historically, without denying or prettifying the concerns of our time.”
Write to June Tsai at june@mail.gio.gov.tw