ARCHITECTURE OF CATHOLIC CHURCHES IN SAIGON - HO CHI MINH CITY (FROM 1654 TO PRESENT)

Abstract

Saigon - Ho Chi Minh City is a multi-cultural city with ethnics and religious groups. For Catholics, it is the second largest region all over country, especially after the 1954 great immigration. Architecture of Cathlic churches in Saigon - Ho Chi Minh City from 1654 up to now consists of many particular points. First of all, the architecture of Catholic churches in Saigon - Ho Chi Minh City is influenced by urban space in terms of their internal structures. Next, it is also influenced by cultural consciousness in each Catholic community in terms of exterior decoration.

This article is based on Human ecology theory to prove the ability of Catholic communities in facing with urban environment and based on Acculturation theory to explain differences in viewpoints of aesthetics in exterior decoration. Thereby, this paper desires to contribute more references for city government in future plans.

Keywords: Catholic community, church, architecture, urban space, Saigon - Ho Chi Minh City