Shuib Taib traces the history of several churches in Kuala Lumpur
IT’S Christmas Day and it’s appropriate to feature some of the interesting churches in Kuala Lumpur. Some of these have been around for more than a century and a few have been relocated at least once.
1. ST JOHN’S CATHEDRAL
Opened in 1883, St John’s Cathedral is one of the
oldest buildings in KL. It is located next to St John’s Institution, which is known for its Grecian-Spanish architecture. Though it started as a long wooden hall with a few windows, the interior has since seen many significant changes, like the use of stained glass from Paris for windows.
2. ST MARY’S CATHEDRAL
The original structure of this cathedral was built of timber on Bluff Road in 1887, on top of a hill now known as Bukit Aman, where the Royal Malaysian Police headquarters is now located. It served as a centre for worship and spiritual life for a small group of Anglicans in KL. In 1893, a decision was made to erect a new building to house the growing congregation and a new site was found in what is now known as Dataran Merdeka.
3. TAMIL METHODIST CHURCH
Located in KL’s Little India, its history goes back to more than a century, 1896 to be precise, when a group of young people came together for prayer meetings and bible study. Later, the cornerstone for a physical building was laid in 1899 in Malacca Street. It moved to its current location between Jalan Sultan Abdul Samad and Jalan Thambipillay in Brickfields in 1961 and has been there since. Services are conducted in both Tamil and English.
4. ST ANTHONY’S CHURCH
In 1883, the church of St John in Bukit Nanas was the only place of worship for Catholics in the city. After the church of Holy Rosary was established in 1903 for the Chinese-speaking community, steps were taken to have a special church for the Tamil-speaking community.
A piece of land in Brickflelds was acquired in 1909 and construction of the church was finally completed in 1913.
5. ST ANDREW’S PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
Though the congregation started in 1902, the structure was built in 1918 in Persiaran Raja Chulan in KL. During World War II, St Andrew’s was looted of its organ pipes, books, bibles, hymnals and four brass memorial tablets. Vital church records also disappeared. In the early days of the Japanese Occupation, the Church was used as a warehouse. Later, local English-speaking Methodists took over the building and held regular worship services there. Today, it is home to a culturally rich and vibrant congregation which includes local members and worshippers from the expatriate community.