European colonialism and missionaries brought Christianity to Southeast Asia
To cite this page: Tan, Noel Hidalgo (2021, Updated 09 October 2022) Archaeology of Christianity in Southeast Asia. Southeast Asian Archaeology. Available at: https://www.southeastasianarchaeology.com/christianity/
If you found this page useful, consider showing support by Buying me a Coffee.
Overview
European colonialism and missionaries brought Christianity to Southeast Asia
Christianity, as it is practiced today, can be traced to the arrival of Europeans from the 16th century, starting with the Portuguese in Sri Lanka and Malacca. However, various records indicate the presence of Christian missionaries and communities in Asia since the 2nd century. Their presence was felt mainly in India and China, though a few early communities could be found in Southeast Asia – including a mention of a Christian community in Sumatra in the 12th century. Because of its association with European colonisation, archaeological traces of Christianity are much more recent, and often manifest in the form of religious buildings and colonial architecture (many of which are still in use). Today, Christianity is the main religion in the Philippines and East Timor, but the religion flourishes in all parts of the region. Some of the more significant sites associated with Christianity include the Unesco-listed Baroque Churches of the Philippines, and the architecture found in the historic cities of Melaka and George Town.
Recommended Books
These are books relevant to Christianity in Southeast Asia, with a focus on archaeology. Some of these links are affiliate links and I may receive a commission if you click on them and make a purchase. For other sources of reliable academic information, you should also check out the books page for latest releases and the occassional free book, as well as the journals page for the latest scientific research.
Last update on 2023-03-27 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
Popular Posts
These links are dynamically generated and are based on the most viewed posts in the last 30 days.
Negritos or Malays: Who are the original inhabitants of the Philippines?
An opinion piece by Vincent Cabreza summarising a paper presented by Lawence Reid from the University of Hawaii about the...
Denver Art Museum removes Emma Bunker’s name, returns $185,000
via Denver Post, 09 March 2023: The fallout from Douglas Latchford and his close associate Emma Bunker continues, with the...
Online Postgraduate Certificate in Asian Art Scholarship
Scholarship opportunity at SOAS for an online course with a Certificate in Asian Art. The deadline for applications is 26...
Colorado scholar Emma Bunker helped a prolific art smuggler flourish
via Denver Post, 01 December 2022: Last week the Denver Post ran a series of stories by Sam Tabachnik about...
Tourists flock to Nong Khai as sacred stupa emerges from Mekong River
via The Nation, 13 March 2023: A 700-year-old stupa has emerged from the Mekong River in Nong Khai province due...
[Job] Senior Lecturer in Art History and/or Archaeology of South and/or South-East Asia
EFEO is recruiting a Senior Lecturer in Art History and/or Archaeology of Southeast and/or South-East Asia. Deadline for applications is...
News Archive
The news reports indexed below usually link to external sites that were active at the time of posting; sometimes websites may be temporarily down or may have reorganised their underlying architecture or have even closed down – in these cases the links may not be available. Most of the news articles archived are in English; this is largely because I do not have a working competency in Bahasa, although when I am made aware of stories in this and other languages I try to index them.
Leave a Reply