Blenduk Church

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Blenduk Church
Protestant Church in Western Indonesia Immanuel Semarang
Gereja Protestan Indonesia Barat Immanuel Semarang
Exterior of Blenduk Church, Semarang, 2014-06-18.jpg
Indonesia Semarang City location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Blenduk Church
Location in Semarang
6°58′5.28″S110°25′38.98″E / 6.9681333°S 110.4274944°E / -6.9681333; 110.4274944
Location Semarang, Central Java
Country Indonesia
Denomination Protestant
(Calvinist)
History
Founded1753 (1753)
Architecture
Functional statusActive
Specifications
Number of floors2
Number of domes 3
Number of spires 2
Administration
Parish 200 families (2004)

The Protestant Church in Western Indonesia Immanuel Semarang (Indonesian : Gereja Protestan Indonesia Barat Immanuel Semarang), better known as Blenduk Church (Gereja Blenduk), is a Protestant church in Semarang, Central Java, Indonesia. Built in 1753, it is the oldest church in the province. [1]

Contents

Architecture and layout

Blenduk Church, at 32 Letjen Suprapto Street in the old town of Semarang, Central Java, is located in a small courtyard between former office buildings. [1] The Jiwasraya building is located to the south, across the street, while the Kerta Niaga offices are to its west. [2]

The octagonal church, built on a stone foundation and with single-layer brick walls, has its ground floor at street level. [2] It is topped by a large, copper-skinned dome, from which it gets its common name; [3] [4] the Javanese word mblenduk means dome. The dome is supported by 32 steel beams, 8 large and 24 small. [5] Two towers, square at the base and slowly rounding until topped with a small dome, are located on either side of the main entrance, while a cornice consisting of horizontal lines runs around the building; Roman-style porticoes covered in saddle-shaped roofs are located on its eastern, southern and western faces. [1] Blenduk also features etched and stained glass windows, as well as wood-panel double doors at the south-facing entrance. [1] [2]

The wooden pews inside Blenduk have rattan seats, while the pulpit is completely made of wood and located on an octagonal platform made of teak. [1] [5] A nonfunctional Baroque pipe organ from the 1700s is also located inside. [1] [4] The floor is covered in black, yellow, and white tiles. [5] In the northern part of the interior is a spiral staircase, etched with name of its manufacturer, Pletterij den haag (Rolling Mill, The Hague), which leads to the second floor. [5]

History

Blenduk in c. 1940 Blenduk Church circa 1940.jpg
Blenduk in c. 1940

Blenduk was established in 1753; the initial building had a joglo-style. [1] Although meant for Protestants, Catholics also used it until the first Catholic church in the city, in Gedangan, was built. [1]

The church was later rebuilt in 1787. [1] Another re-imagining, spearheaded by H.P.A. de Wilde and W. Westmas, began work in 1894. [1] During this renovation, the dome and two towers were added. [1] [4] Another series of renovations began in the early 2000s. [1] As of 2004, the church has 200 families in its congregation and holds regular Sunday services; [6] it is also a tourist attraction. [4] In 2003 the church celebrated its 250th year. [1]

Awards

In February 2009, Blenduk received an award for Best Maintained Old Place of Worship from the Central Java branch of the Architects' Society of Indonesia. [7]

See also

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References

Footnotes
  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 Suherdjoko 2003, 'Blenduk' church in Semarang.
  2. 1 2 3 Semarang City Government, Gereja Protestan Indonesia.
  3. Gower 2009, Semarang's old city.
  4. 1 2 3 4 ASEAN Committee on Culture and Information, Blenduk Church.
  5. 1 2 3 4 Widiarto 2003, Butuh Setahun untuk Renovasi.
  6. Taufiqurrahman 2004, Semarang: 'Little Holland'.
  7. Suara Merdeka 2009, Gereja Blenduk Raih.
Bibliography

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