臺灣的天主教宣教事工因著第二次世界大戰之後大陸地區西方傳教士的外移而有新的發展。其中,德國的科倫方濟會省負責了臺南新營教區的工作,並在1950年至1970年間興建了許多形式各異的教堂,它們有的具有歐洲現代教堂建築風味,有的則呈現濃厚的中國風格或中西元素混合樣貌。這些教堂背後的設計者既有著名的德國建築師與活躍於亞洲宣教的神父建築師,也有非建築專業的神父與修士,因此也反映出歐洲與亞洲在宗教、藝術、文化層面上的複雜交錯關係。
本文將透過對這些教堂建築的剖析,釐清它們所蘊含的設計理念、梳理它們與歐洲教堂建築風格及宗教禮儀改革之關係,探討其中所流露的宣教政策與文化涵化的嘗試,並檢視當時信眾對天主教中國化與基督教藝術本土化之回應,以呈現這段臺灣─歐洲文化交會之樣貌,同時凸顯這些教堂做為珍貴有形文化資產在教會史、文化史與藝術史上的重要價值。
Toward the end of the Second World War, the Catholic mission in Taiwan was greatly revived by the arrival of numerous European missionaries fleeing mainland China. One such missionary society, the German Franciscan Provence Colonia, was responsible for missionary work in the Tainan Xinging region, and built many churches between the 1950s and 1970s. These churches, designed by either a well-known German architect, passionate priest-architect in Asia, or amateur lay-brother, are representative of various styles, from modern European, to typical Chinese fashion, or some mixture of western and Asian elements. As such, in cultural, religious and artistic aspects, these churches embody complicated tensions between European and Taiwanese worlds.
This study investigates the artistic ideas embodied in the architecture of these churches, how they correlate with modern European church architecture and the liturgical movement, causal effects of missionary strategies regarding accommodation, and the responses of Taiwanese Catholics. The understanding embedded in these buildings indicates something of the interactions between Europe and Taiwan during 1950-1970, and reveals the significance of these precious, tangible, cultural heritages in mission, cultural and art histories.