New edition of the book "The Khmer Pagoda" at the SOSORO Museum: A treasure of Cambodian Buddhist heritage

On October 22, 2025, the SOSORO Museum once again honored Khmer culture by launching the revised version of The Khmer Pagoda, an iconic work celebrating the architecture and murals of Cambodian Buddhist pagodas.

This event, presided over by Her Excellency Dr. Chea Serey, Governor of the National Bank of Cambodia, gathered a distinguished audience of personalities from cultural, educational, and governmental spheres around this key piece of Cambodian heritage.

Originally published in 2017, The Khmer Pagoda quickly became an essential reference for art and Buddhist history enthusiasts. The result of meticulous research carried out between 2004 and 2015 by the couple Danielle and Dominique Guéret, this work offers a detailed atlas of pagoda architectures and over 3,000 murals, including more than 2,000 photographed, covering a period from the late 19th century to 1973.

Through this, the book goes beyond simple artistic description to provide a lively reading of Cambodian history during its period of modernization and opening to the world.

In her speech, Ms. Danielle Guéret, former professor at the Faculty of Archaeology of the Royal University of Fine Arts (RUFA), expressed her enduring passion for these pagodas, true living symbols of national identity. She emphasized the crucial need to preserve this fragile heritage so that it continues to resonate at the heart of Cambodian culture.

Mr. Blaise Kilian, co-director of the SOSORO Museum, expressed the museum’s pride in hosting this enriched new edition, which notably includes an improved layout and a catalog of the SOSORO 2024 temporary exhibition dedicated to the Guéret couple’s work. This publication, available in Khmer, English, and French, is now accessible at the museum’s shop.

Founded by the National Bank of Cambodia, the Preah Srey Ianavarman Museum, more commonly known as SOSORO, is a flagship institution dedicated to Cambodian economic history and monetary evolution. It offers cutting-edge museography combining ancient artifacts and modern technologies.

Since its opening, SOSORO has welcomed over 150,000 visitors, including many students and children, and has been awarded a Travelers’ Choice Award by Tripadvisor. It remains a place for temporary exhibitions, conferences, and major cultural events in Phnom Penh.

This launch marks an important step in the valorization and preservation of Cambodian religious heritage, inviting the Cambodian and international public to rediscover these artistic and historical gems.