‘Sense of Place’ on Sacred Cultural and Architectural Heritage: St. Peter’s Church of Melaka

Main Article Content

Issue Vol. 5 No. 1 (2022)
Published Jan 30, 2022
Section Articles
Article downloads 1310
DOI: https://doi.org/10.7454/in.v5i1.178
Submitted : Aug 22, 2021 | Accepted : Dec 24, 2021

Azizi Bahauddin Rani Prihatmanti Sophie Asha Putri

Abstract

The ‘sense of place’ of a religious building can be sacred for the community that frequents the architecture. It is deeply embedded with cultural attributes that made the architecture more meaningful and became a structure that ties the community. This article examines the St. Peter’s Church in Melaka which is seen as the epitome of the Portuguese community as a place for them to congregate. This study is influenced by Lefebvre’s space triad theory on the production of social space based on the ‘perceived,’ ‘conceived,’ and ‘lived’ space to form the interiority through sense of place. This qualitative research delves into ethnography to understand the Portuguese culture followed by the phenomenological analysis on the architecture. The church embodies the spirit of the Portuguese community as they struggle in the mixed cultures of Melaka. It stands tall to remind the people of the monumental historical past, a culture that refused to be put aside.

Keywords: sense of place, sacred place, space triad, St. Peter’s Church, cultural heritage

Article Details

How to Cite
Bahauddin, A., Prihatmanti, R., & Putri, S. A. (2022). ‘Sense of Place’ on Sacred Cultural and Architectural Heritage: St. Peter’s Church of Melaka. Interiority, 5(1), 53–74. https://doi.org/10.7454/in.v5i1.178
Author Biographies

Azizi Bahauddin, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Malaysia

Azizi Bahauddin is a professor and lecturer in the Interior Architecture Programme, School of Housing, Building and Planning, Universiti Sains Malaysia. His main research areas are focusing on design and culture specifically on the exhibition design; art and design especially on cultural issues on ethnography and phenomenology; and on architectural and cultural heritage. His main passion is to investigate how cultural values influence the built environment, especially in the embellishments, the details, the space planning, and the customs, rituals, and philosophy that are associated with the architecture.

Rani Prihatmanti, Universitas Ciputra Surabaya, Indonesia; Universiti Sains Malaysia, Malaysia

Rani Prihatmanti is a senior lecturer in the Architecture Department in the School of Creative Industry, Universitas Ciputra Surabaya, Indonesia as well as the board member of the Universitas Ciputra Centre for Creative Heritage Studies (UC.CCHS). Currently she is also a graduate research assistant while pursuing her doctorate degree in the School of Housing, Building and Planning, Universiti Sains Malaysia focusing on the ‘sense of place’ on traditional architecture. Her research interests are focusing on interior design, culture, and symbolism. She is also interested in multi-sensory experience in the built environment, human comfort in adaptive reuse heritage buildings, and ethnobotany.

Sophie Asha Putri, Universitas Ciputra Surabaya, Indonesia

Sophie Asha Putri is currently a student in the School of Psychology, Universitas Ciputra Surabaya, Indonesia. She has research interests on mental health issues, psychology of love, and sleep psychology. She is also interested in the psychological aspects of the built environment, particularly on health spaces and learning spaces.

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