The Chapel of Kung-Tung

A modernist chapel built in Taitung in the 1950s by Swiss priest Hilber JAKOB tells the moving story of the relationship between Catholicism and Taiwan’s indigenous peoples, as well as the his selfless giving and devotion to religion and education.

Swiss priest Fr. Hilber devoted his life to Taitung, focusing on improving both the spiritual and material lives of indigenous peoples. He founded Kung-Tung Technical Senior High School as well as the chapel in one of the buildings. He brought the best European wood technicians to be lecturers for the students and successfully fostered a great generation of furniture masters. At the same time, the chapel was selected as the one of the 30 most important modernist architectural designs by the WMF (World Monuments Fund) in 2017.