Determining the values of certain buildings as part of conservation and development in cities can be difficult when such architecture has changed over different periods. For an urban landscape that keeps evolving, recognizing the significance of urban heritage involves looking at all aspects and elements tied to the place. In her article, “Significance and Values of the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, Ubon Ratchathani, Thailand,” Lalida Boonmee investigates the case of the cathedral as a significant religious place in Ubon Ratchathani that has seen four architectural changes since it was built. With the historic urban landscape approach that focuses on all of the tangible and intangible qualities of urban heritage, the author contends that regardless of how the cathedral has been transformed, it still bears significance and values for local Christians – proving how the building’s importance lies beyond the tangible.
Laying a background for the preservation of cultural heritage, the author traces different conservation theories in the past, showing how these conservation concepts have become more holistic. Current practices are grounded upon The Recommendation on the Historic Urban Landscape adopted by UNESCO, which considers a larger scope of factors – namely, the existing built environment, intangible heritage, cultural diversity, socio-economic and environmental factors, together with local community values – to increase the sustainability of planning and design interventions in cities. With this framework, the author suggests that the values and significance of urban heritage can be better understood in spite ofany of its physical transformations throughout the past.
The author has investigated historical archives to study the transformation of the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception within the historical context of Christianity in Ubon (the simple name for the province) and the city’s urban development. Ubon was the first target area in the northeastern region of Thailand for Christian propagation in the 1880s. Despite the many unfavorable conditions and circumstances throughout different periods in the past, Christianity was successfully established and has continually flourished in Ubon society. Hence, the Christian community has stood as an important part of Ubon’s historic urban landscape until the present.
The Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception first served as a landmark of Christian propagation in Ubon. The first building was in the Laotian architectural style, simply built for Christian functionality. Its design also reflected the environment of the Ubon landscape at that time. The second transformation was carried out in 1895 when the building was considered too old and inappropriate to express the glory of God. The re-designed cathedral was constructed in a Western architectural style with one bell tower, emphasizing the European origin of the religion. This, also, saw the introduction of Western architecture into Ubon city and Western-style buildings subsequently became prevalent in the neighbouring area. The third cathedral was relocated on the west side of the old cathedral in 1965 and was the first building in Thailand to have a paraboloid concrete roof. The architecture incorporated important symbolic elements such as the cross, stained glass and the bell tower. The building also echoed the trend of modernism that was spreading across the province. The latest cathedral was built in 2013 in the style of the second cathedral to resignify the significant historical aspects of the building, while also maintaining elements of the third cathedral with which people of the current generation had become familiar.
To understand how the cathedral still holds values for the Christian community, the author conducted a focus group interview with direct and indirect stakeholders of the place. The author has found that the significance of the cathedral has two dimensions. The first, the intangible aspect, lies in how the inside space of the cathedral can serve as an appropriate area for rituals and the worship of God whereas the other dimension, the tangible one, is concerned with symbolic elements conveying the message to people that the building belongs to God. In essence, the author stresses that people’s belief in Christianity is the most important matter; As long as local Christians regard the cathedral as a center for their social and religious activities and perceive sacred meanings through important symbolic elements, the cathedral will retain its significance and value for the local Christian population and the Ubon city as a whole.
Based on the historic urban landscape approach, the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception is significant both as a pillar for the Christian community where people gather and secure their spiritual connection with God and as part of the historic urban development symbolizing long-established Christianity in Ubon. Through this case study, the author helps support a concept that encourages the consideration of both tangible and intangible dimensions when recognizing the values and significance of urban heritage. Places that have changed over time might not be regarded as significant elements ofheritage by outsiders but this is not always the case for local people.
Petcharee Somwong