Architectural Conservation of the Catholic Churches of Santo Antonius Surakarta and Santo Antonius Muntilan: A Comparative Study

Catholic church buildings in the Dutch East Indies began to be built rapidly in the 1800s. The construction of the Catholic church building became a historical momentum for the end of Calvinism’s monopoly during the Dutch Colonial period in Indonesia. The Santo Antonius Church in Surakarta and the Santo Antonius Church in Muntilan are Catholic buildings built during that era. The two churches were built in the same year, namely 1916. Until now, with the increase in the number of people, the need for space for activities in the two churches has also increased. The need for more space encouraged the church management to make several adjustments to the two church buildings. The development of space in the two church buildings led to long discussions, especially regarding the interior. The critical discussions that emerged mainly focused on the authenticity of the space and appropriate conservation methods based on the original form of the two churches. Therefore, this study uses a comparative approach to compare conservation actions in the two churches through conservation theory, including preservation, restoration, reconstruction, and adaptation activities. It is hoped that the results of this study can provide a scientific contribution, especially to policyholders for the conservation of Catholic church buildings in Indonesia.