La prise en compte des monuments de Vientiane par les Français au début de la colonisation

Abstract

At the end of the xixth century, the French were faced with the cultural heritage of Laos, which they had just colonised. The concept of cultural heritage, which began in the West, was brought into the country by agents who applied the same western regulations used in France. In Vientiane, the old capital, which had not recovered from the 1828 sacking by the Siamese, most pagodas were still in ruins. The French and the Lao, that is lao language speakers, contributed to their conservation, using different methods. The French carried out studies of the most important temples in Vientiane, in an effort to eventually restore them, since they were seen as ”historical monuments”. Despite colonisation, the French maintained a good relationship with the Lao by using peaceful methods to conserve their culture. For the Lao, the important thing was to make such places of buddhist cult come to life again, so the restoration of many ruined pagodas was undertaken by monks and villagers of neighbouring quarters. Moreover, temples played an important role in structuring the town, shaping its quarters and giving identity to their communities.