By:
• Elise Roy

• November 9, 2024 , 10:30 AM

Ostwald, France — On Aug. 17, 2020, the Cambodian temple Wat Dhammaratanaram, also known as Wat Strasbourg, was inaugurated in Ostwald in northeastern France. With donations made by several families, the association Les amis de la civilisation cambodgienne (friends of the Cambodian civilization) had been able to purchase an abandoned house and gradually transformed it into a spiritual and cultural space. Today, the pagoda enables the Cambodian diaspora in France to reconnect with Cambodia, its values and traditions.

A Dynamic, Family-Oriented Association

The project of building a temple for the Cambodian community in eastern France was 10 years in the making, launched in 2014 following the reorganization of the association. "From the very beginning, our ambition was to build a temple," said Henri Ouk, the association director.

 About 10 families have been deeply involved in transforming this house into a peaceful and religious space for the community, he said. "Although the Cambodian community is a minority in France, it seemed essential for us to have a place of our own," says Kim Vibol, vice-president of the association.

Approximately 80,000 Cambodians found refuge in France during the late 1970s and 1980s. Most members of the association were born in Cambodia and fled due to the turmoil and war in the country at the time. Some of them met in Thai and Vietnamese refugee camps, while others met after relocating to France. Today, they share this painful past and a strong desire to reconnect with their country of origin through culture and religious celebrations, association members explained.

A Much-Needed Space for the Community

Nearly 200 families of Cambodian heritage are currently living in and around the city of Strasbourg. But Wat Strasbourg serves as a gathering place for families from other areas as well, and even from Germany and Switzerland. “Our temple, though small, has a charm and tranquility that attracts many Cambodian families,” Ouk said. Thanks to the hard work of the association members and others who helped, this space progressively became a place for celebrations and meetings, he said. The four Cambodian monks based at the pagoda follow a set program that closely follows the lunar calendar, celebrating major annual events such as Kathin, Pchum Ben, and Khmer New Year. They also hold funeral ceremonies, enabling a time for reflection and a funeral vigil.

Building and establishing this pagoda has not been an easy task, Ouk said. “We first had to collect the money, to deal with the French administration, and then to transform this house into a temple,” he explained. Still, those challenges were overcome, and the families involved succeeded in creating a space for the community, he added.

How to metamorphose a French house into a Khmer temple

As association members were busy preparing for the traditional Buddhist festival Kathin to be held on Oct. 27 at Wat Strasbourg, they explained how this house was transformed into a temple.

While its blue and gold walls, sculptures of the Buddha, and Cambodian and Buddhist flags evoke Cambodia, they kept the architecture of the house that is typically French. "We imported statues and various objects from Cambodia by cargo ship," Ouk said.

All the wall sculptures were made by the monks using silicone molds from Cambodia. “They mixed the cement, poured it into the molds, and let it dry,” Ouk explained. “Then they assembled the pieces on the walls and painted them.” This meticulous work requires craftsmanship, patience and attention to detail, he said. But it is these pieces that have given the building the appearance of a genuine Cambodian temple, he added.

"Now, our main concern is to ensure the long-term sustainability of this place," Ouk said, adding that this pagoda is also important because it is part of handing down to the younger generation Cambodian values and traditions.

As at other Cambodian Buddhist temples, daily life is shaped by the routine of the monks who pray, hold ceremonies, and maintain the temple. Twice a day, the faithful bring food to the monks, and it is said that they have even sampled some local specialties. Between pétanque games and evenings with fondue—a famed cheese dish—with the monks, Wat Strasbourg beautifully illustrates that the blending of cultures is not just an ideal but can become a reality.