Gongdong High School Church Building Introduction
Founded in 1957 by Father Jozef R. Herve from the Congregation of the Blessed Sacrament, Gongdong Senior High School (公東高工) was one of the key missions of the congregation during their early missionary work in Taiwan. The school aimed to assist youth from the remote Hualien and Taitung regions by providing vocational education for better life opportunities, while also nurturing the workforce needed for industrial development in Taiwan. Gongdong Senior High School is known for its rigorous teaching standards, with the first ten years of instruction primarily led by 15 Swiss technicians. The teaching materials and methods were imported from Europe, establishing Gongdong as one of the most prestigious institutions in Taiwan's vocational education sector, producing many skilled professionals who have received numerous international awards. In addition to its notable reputation in vocational education in recent years, the architecture on campus reflects the care and diligence of the Blessed Sacrament in establishing Gongdong. They specifically hired Swiss architect Dr. Justurs Dahinden and collaborated closely with structural engineer Dr. Schubiger to create outstanding school buildings. Their unique slab structures, designed in coordination with architectural design, resulted in a reduction of steel usage to half that of typical buildings, which was a wise approach during a time when construction materials were scarce and extremely expensive. Among the three early campus buildings, the chapel building deserves special mention. The small chapel on the top floor utilizes sloped roofs, walls sprayed with coarse cement, and a skylight dramatically illuminating the axial orientation of the chapel, alongside stained glass decorations, creating a heavy, dimly lit space filled with religious symbolism and serenity, comparable to the spatial use techniques of renowned architect Le Corbusier in the Chapel of Notre Dame du Haut and La Tourette Monastery. Once completed, the campus quickly became a focal point for local architects, gaining recognition to the extent of being featured in the professional magazine "Architecture." In recent years, academic theses have been written analyzing this architecture, and professional photographers have created rich visual books about the chapel building and Father Herve. As a result, the chapel has not only become a well-known pilgrimage site in the architecture community, but its uniqueness and historical background led to its designation as a historic building in 2003, gradually becoming a must-visit attraction for travelers to Taitung!
