日治時期彰化南瑤宮面對各媽祖廟競爭香火，1912年開始倡議改建，經過官方同意，次年由當地紳商代表正式成立改築會以負責募款與監工等。1916年末動工，1917年夏新建大殿完工，為木構磚牆建築，臺和洋混和風格，12月舉行安座式正式將媽祖像移入。然而由於募款嚴重不足，雖完成新大殿，卻缺乏後續工程經費。次年開始出現嚴厲的攻擊聲浪，最後由媽祖會代表決定放棄此殿，另建一座傳統式媽祖殿，並正式將媽祖像改遷入此殿，而先前完成的西式大殿則改為觀音殿。日治時期南瑤宮前後兩種不同風格的建築群，先完成西式的，緊接著又興建傳統式建築，究竟是誰來選擇新或舊式建築？分析南瑤宮興建過程的轉折變化，適足以說明一座廟宇的出現，不但與固有信仰有關，更涉及當時的社會、政治、經濟以及文化流行等複雜的層面。
最後說明1917年建築之混合實驗形式，與當時新式建築形式有關。1934年左右，為配合第二期改建工程，此殿立面及拜亭部分曾被大幅度刪除、修改。
Facing the competition from other newly renovated Matsu temples, the Nan-yao Kung temple at Chang-hua, Taiwan, proposed its own renovation project in 1912, and formed a committee with the permission from the Japanese colonial government. Consisted of local gentry and capitalists, the renovation committee was responsible for the entire project including fund raising as well as the construction of a new main hall for Matsu. In summer of 1917 appeared a splendid main hall which is a hybrid of Taiwanese, Japanese and Western style. A formal inauguration ceremony was held in autumn. However, members of the traditional Matsu associations of Nan-yao Kung strongly boycotted the construction project, and criticized severely the new style. In order to overtake the project, the second renovation committee was organized three years later by the Matsu associations. Following traditional style, another main hall in traditional style was constructed in 1934. The earlier building was down graded to be a secondary building for Kuan-yin bodhisattva, furthermore, to provide space for the new hall, part of the original architecture was demolished.
Who made the decision for the architecture style of a public temple such as Nan-yao Kung? In the process of observation, we found this complicated issue was strongly related not only to the religious groups, but also to the social, political, financial and cultural factors. The artistic taste for old and new architecture styles reflects the dilemma in the early colonial period in Taiwan.
日治時期; 南瑤宮; 媽祖; 觀音殿; 建築; 彰化
colonial period; Nan-yao Kung; Matsu; Kuan-yin; architecture; Changhua