Colonial Architecture Project

Photos of European colonial architecture around the world

by Gauvin Alexander Bailey, Bader Chair in Southern Baroque Art, Queen's University at Kingston, Canada

Japan '98 02 32.jpg Kyoto, Church of the Assumption (Namban-dera)ThumbnailsKyoto, Church of the Assumption (Namban-dera)

first chapel 1561; larger church 1576, destroyed 1587. Japan was never a Portuguese colony but was home to many Portuguese Jesuit churches, mostly in Nagasaki but the main one in Kyoto. The Jesuits were ordered by their superiors to build in a strictly Japanese manner. To give an idea of its appearance the photo shows the roughly contemporary Buddhist Chion-in Temple in Kyoto begun 1604.

© 2021. All rights reserved. Most of the images are by Gauvin Alexander Bailey and may be used for educational/personal study purposes but not for any other reason without prior written permission. Those interested in HD versions (if available) should contact me directly. Images by other authors may not be reproduced in any manner without written permission. A few are governed by the Creative Commons license (USA section only) and are indicated by "CC".