Tenth International Conference on Religion & Spirituality in Society

Abstract

Architecture, in general, is considered more of a form of cultural expression than a religious expression, and its evolution helps articulate history itself. This paper looks at the history of Buddhist and Catholic architecture to examine the differences between oriental and occidental development on culture and religions. Buddhism takes root in the Indian subcontinent, and it propagates throughout China and finally lands in Japan. Japanese Buddhist architecture carries all the cultural elements from these countries and settles on this Land of the Rising Sun like the stardust of a falling star. The history of the Christian architecture behaves somewhat differently. It is an ambivalent struggle between humanity and Deity, and it constantly seeks out a dialogue between human and the Divine. Before the 20th century, the Catholic architecture was predominantly shaping and molding the culture of the West instead of being assimilated into the local culture. The grand tour of the history of the Christian architecture in this paper illustrates humanity’s acknowledgement of their Deity and their interpretation of the Creator. At the end of the paper is a brief comparative study on some observations of the Buddhist and Catholic architecture. This comparative study is not intended to examine the architecture of these two different faiths or their styles or characteristics, as this is not a critique on the forms and the shapes of architecture itself; it is on the different emphases they have adopted as their beliefs and values and the possible theology behind them in the architecture.