Comprehensive feature evaluation of the main facades of Catholic churches in Sichuan-Chongqing region based on semantic difference method, 1840–1949

Qin Lai, Xinkai Li, Beibei Zhang, Nan Chen and YunZhang Li

PLOS ONE, 2026, vol. 21, issue 5, 1-25

Abstract: The existing Catholic churches constructed in the Sichuan-Chongqing region between 1840 and 1949, as precious carriers of Sino-Western cultural integration, have been listed in the cultural heritage protection catalog. This study employs the semantic difference method to conduct a quantitative evaluation of the main facade characteristics of these churches across five dimensions, operationalized through six specific evaluation criteria: relationship with the environment, facade contour, facade style 1 (Chinese vs. Western), facade style 2 (Folk vs. Official), facade decoration, and religious expression. The correlation between these facade features was also analyzed. The findings reveal: (1) Among the 62 existing Catholic churches in Sichuan and Chongqing, 14 are Chinese-style churches, accounting for 22.6%. (2) Facades demonstrate distinct cultural fusion: Chinese-style churches incorporate Western vertical composition elements, while Western-dominated churches integrate environmental harmony, Chinese architectural style, folk styles, and minimalist decoration. (3) According to the correlation analysis of Spearman’s correlation coefficient, the correlation coefficient between the facade style and decorative characteristics of the church is 0.857, and the correlation coefficient with religious expression is 0.754, showing a significant positive correlation. This study aims to provide a reference for the quantitative evaluation of cultural heritage facade characteristics and preservation of Sino-Western architectural cultural integration.

Date: 2026
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0348806 (text/html)
https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/file?id= ... 48806&type=printable (application/pdf)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:plo:pone00:0348806

DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0348806

Access Statistics for this article

More articles in PLOS ONE from Public Library of Science
Bibliographic data for series maintained by plosone ().