God in the village : heritage significance and conservation of Catholic chapels in the cultural landscape of Sai Kung villages in Hong Kong

Abstract

Sai Kung is well known for its natural beauty with many Hakka and Punti villages, and part of Sai Kung is listed as the Hong Kong UNESCO Global Geopark. It also inherits the traces of early Catholic missionaries from Milan with more than ten chapels built by the Foreign Missions of Milan (PIME, Pontifical Institute for Foreign Missions) since the mid-19th century. The Chapels are the testimonies of not only the religious interaction between the east and the west in the early 19th to mid-20th century, but also the social and architectural interchange between the early missionaries and the local villagers. This dissertation aims to identity the significances of the Catholic chapels in the Sai Kung villages in order to understand how the chapels and the landscape can be best conserved. It first research about the historical and religious background of the chapels in the cultural landscape of Sai Kung Hakka villages, and then analyzes the architecture of the Village Chapels with local traditional building techniques, materials and styles. The later part of the dissertation focuses on Immaculate Heart of Mary Chapel in Pak Sha O as the case study in formulating conservation guidelines. Through background research, field study and site survey, the chapters shall identify the significance of the Chapel supported by various heritage values and apply relevant international charters and principles to propose appropriate measures and guidelines for the conservation of the chapel. The proposed guidelines although specific to Immaculate Heart of Mary Chapel, they shall also be relevant and worth referencing for the future conservation works of other chapels in Sai Kung and the New territories at large.