A Local House of Worship

IT is little surprise that the St. Francis of Assisi Church in Berastagi, North Sumatra, often makes it onto lists of Indonesia's 10 most beautiful churches. Built in 2005, the church boasts a distinctive architecture influenced by local Karo traditions.

Father Leonardus Egidius Joosten, the church's priest, had the idea of building the church in 1999. The 73-year-old Dutchman wanted to construct a church that drew on local influences rather than western ones. "It is worth lamenting that churches over here don't use the local architecture," he told Tempo two weeks ago.

December 22, 2015