The Oratory of San Francisco Javier project by Paco García Moro is built in Thakien wood, avoided by Buddhists due to the belief that it houses spirits, which is recovered from demolitions of vernacular houses and local communities. The carpentry project was developed by Reen Sulee, a master of the Karen construction tradition who learned traditional geometry and carpentry as a young man in prison.
The architect integrates the Karen textile elements into the project with the typical spatial organization of Catholicism, a fragment of fabric guides visitors along the central path towards the altar and the worship area. The lightness and elegance of the oratory are obtained with the façade framework of pillars with glass, as well as ventilation with the pillars located on the perimeter.
Oratory of St Francis Xavier by Paco García Moro. Photograph by Panoramic Studio.
Description of project by Paco García Moro
Umphang is Thailand’s most remote district, accessible only by the scenic but tortuous “Route 1090”. It borders the Karen Nationalist Union, a secessionist territory embroiled in long-standing conflict with Myanmar. The area is home to several refugee camps under administration of the Thai military.
The Oratory of St Francis Xavier stands in front of the Umphang River, a few kilometres away from the war zone. Its shape evokes a miracle attributed to St Francis: when on the verge of drowning in a shipwreck in the Moluccas, a crab approached him holding up his lost crucifix. The temple was built in Thakien wood, which is generally avoided Buddhists because it’s believed to host spirits. Some of the wood was reclaimed from demolitions of vernacular houses and the rest obtained from f by local communities managed by the Department of Forestry. The carpentry was done by master carpenter Reen Sulee. Born in the Karen State, Mr. Sulee learned geometry and traditional carpentry during his youth in prison. Today he is locally renowned for his vernacular houses, keeping the Karen building tradition alive.
Oratory of St Francis Xavier by Paco García Moro. Photograph by Panoramic Studio.
The layout of St Xavier’s Oratory was inspired by Karen traditional textile motives. The outer organic form blends with the spacial configuration born of the Catholic liturgy.
A square of interwoven fibers highlights the central path to Communion along the central axis. Opposite the altar, the temple opens wide to welcome visitors, leading them through the worship area.
The composite see-through pillars that grant the interiors of lightness and gracefulness. Those located in the outer perimeter also allow for ventilation, as brilliantly executed by Karen carpenter Mr. Sulee.
Opening
The oratory was inaugurated on 17th December 2022 with a mass led by the Bishop of Nakhon Sawan, moseñor Joseph Phibun. The ceremony was attended by prominent members of the Catholic community in Thailand, as well as ethnic Karen families based of both sides of the Thai-Myanmar border.
