St. Peter's Church (Melaka)

Last updated
St. Peter's Church
Gereja St. Peter (Malay)
St. Peter's Church, Melaka.jpg
St. Peter's Church (Melaka)
Location166 Jalan Bendahara
Melaka
Country Malaysia
Denomination Roman Catholic
Tradition Latin Rite
History
Dedication Saint Peter
Architecture
Architectural type Church
Style Colonial Dutch Baroque architecture
Completed1710
Administration
Parish Malacca Vicariate Forane (under Roman Catholic Diocese of Malacca-Johor)
St. Peter's Church interior St Peter Church Melaka 1.jpg
St. Peter's Church interior

St. Peter's Church (Malay : Gereja St. Peter) is a church in Melaka City, Melaka, Malaysia. It is the oldest functioning Roman Catholic church in Malaysia. [1]

Contents

History

The Portuguese occupation of Melaka ended when Melaka fell to the Dutch in 1641. [2] This was followed by period of persecutions of the Catholics in Melaka by the Dutch. Churches were destroyed and Catholics were not permitted to have their own cemeteries or even pray in their homes. Priests were also forbidden from administering their flocks. The War of the Spanish Succession resulted in an alliance formed between the Portuguese and the Dutch in 1703. This resulted in the Dutch adopting a softer stance towards the Portuguese Catholics. After years of persecutions, a piece of land was donated by a Dutch convert and St. Peter's Church was built in 1710. [3]

Architecture

The facade and decorations of the church have a combination of eastern and western architecture. One of its bells was cast in Goa in 1608 and was salvaged from an older church the Dutch had burnt down. There is also an alabaster statue of the Lord Before the Resurrection. [4]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Malacca Sultanate</span> State on the Malay Peninsula and surrounding regions (1400–1511)

The Malacca Sultanate was a Malay sultanate based in the modern-day state of Malacca, Malaysia. Conventional historical thesis marks c. 1400 as the founding year of the sultanate by King of Singapura, Parameswara, also known as Iskandar Shah, although earlier dates for its founding have been proposed. At the height of the sultanate's power in the 15th century, its capital grew into one of the most important transshipment ports of its time, with territory covering much of the Malay Peninsula, the Riau Islands and a significant portion of the northern coast of Sumatra in present-day Indonesia.

Papia Kristang, or just Kristang, is a creole language spoken by the Kristang, a community of people of mixed Portuguese and Malay ancestry, chiefly in Malacca, Malaysia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bukit Cina</span> Chinese cemetery in Melaka, Malaysia

Bukit China is a hillside of historical significance in Malacca City, the capital of the Malaysian state of Malacca. It is located several kilometres to the north from the historical centre of Malacca. The site is today surrounded by the modern city on all sides.

The Chitty, also known as the Chetty or Chetti Melaka, are a distinctive group of Tamil people found mainly and originally in Melaka, Malaysia, and in Singapore where they migrated to in the 18th and 19th centuries from Melaka, who are also known as the "Indian Peranakans" and have adopted Malay (mostly) and Chinese cultural practices whilst also retaining their Hindu faith and heritage. In the 21st century, their population stands at 2,000. The Chitty/Chetti community or Chettiar community, is from South India and are devout Hindus.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Malacca City</span> City and state capital in Malacca, Malaysia

Malacca City is the capital city of the Malaysian state of Malacca, in Melaka Tengah District. It is the oldest Malaysian city on the Straits of Malacca, having become a successful entrepôt in the era of the Malacca Sultanate. The present-day city was founded by Parameswara, a Sumatran prince who escaped to the Malay Peninsula when Srivijaya fell to the Majapahit. Following the establishment of the Malacca Sultanate, the city drew the attention of traders from the Middle East, South Asia, and East Asia, as well as the Portuguese, who intended to dominate the trade route in Asia. After Malacca was conquered by Portugal, the city became an area of conflict when the sultanates of Aceh and Johor attempted to take control from the Portuguese.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kristang people</span> Ethnic group of Malaysia

The Kristang or Serani are a creole ethnic group of people of predominantly mixed Portuguese and Malaccan descent, with substantial Dutch, British, Jewish, Malay, Chinese and Indian heritage. They are based in Malaysia and to some extent in Singapore. People of this ethnicity have, besides Portuguese, a strong Dutch heritage due to intermarriages, which is common among the Kristang. In addition, due to persecution by the Portuguese Inquisition in the region, a lot of the Jews of Malacca assimilated into the Kristang community. The creole group arose in Malacca between the 16th and 17th centuries, when the city was a port and base of the Portuguese Empire. Some descendants speak a distinctive Kristang language or Malacca Portuguese, a creole based on Portuguese. Today the government classifies them as Portuguese Eurasians.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Catholic Church in Malaysia</span>

The Catholic Church in Malaysia is part of the worldwide Catholic Church, under the spiritual leadership of the pope in Rome. The apostolic nuncio to Malaysia is currently Archbishop Wojciech Załuski, who was appointed on 22 September 2020; The resident ambassador of Malaysia to the Holy See is Westmoreland Anak Edward Palon.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">A Famosa</span> Portuguese fortress in Malacca, Malaysia

A Famosa was a Portuguese fortress built in Malacca, Malaysia, circa 1512. The oldest part of the fortress was a five-storey keep which eventually gave its name to the fortress as a whole. Some time following the Battle of Malacca (1641) and the occupation of the city by the Dutch, the keep was destroyed but the outer walls of the fortress were expanded. However, in 1811 the British destroyed all of the original fortress and most of the outer walls. The Porta de Santiago gateway, and the rebuilt Middelburg Bastion, are the only parts of the fortress that remain today.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dutch Malacca</span> History of Malacca under Dutch control (1641–1825)

Dutch Malacca (1641–1825) was the longest period that Malacca was under foreign control. The Dutch ruled for almost 183 years with intermittent British occupation during the Napoleonic Wars (1795–1815). This era saw relative peace with little serious interruption from the Malay sultanates due to the understanding forged between the Dutch and the Sultanate of Johor in 1606. This time also marked the decline of the importance of Malacca. The Dutch preferred Batavia as their economic and administrative centre in the region and their hold in Malacca was to prevent the loss of the city to other European powers and, subsequently, the competition that would come with it. Thus, in the 17th century, with Malacca ceased to be an important port, the Johor Sultanate became the dominant local power in the region due to the opening of its ports and the alliance with the Dutch.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Portuguese Malacca</span> Former Portuguese possession in Southeast Asia between 1511–1641

Portuguese control of Malacca, a city on the Malay Peninsula, spanned the 130 year period (1511–1641) when it was a possession of the Portuguese East Indies. It was conquered from the Malacca Sultanate as part of Portuguese attempts to gain control of trade in the region. Although multiple attempts to conquer it were repulsed, the city was eventually lost to an alliance of Dutch and regional forces, thus entering a period of Dutch rule.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Christianity in Asia</span> Religion of an area

Christianity in Asia has its roots in the very inception of Christianity, which originated from the life and teachings of Jesus in 1st-century Roman Judea. Christianity then spread through the missionary work of his apostles, first in the Levant and taking roots in the major cities such as Jerusalem and Antioch. According to tradition, further eastward expansion occurred via the preaching of Thomas the Apostle, who established Christianity in the Parthian Empire (Iran) and India. The very First Ecumenical Council was held in the city of Nicaea in Asia Minor (325). The first nations to adopt Christianity as a state religion were Armenia in 301 and Georgia in 327. By the 4th century, Christianity became the dominant religion in all Asian provinces of the Eastern Roman Empire.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roman Catholic Diocese of Melaka–Johor</span> Catholic diocese in Malaysia

The Diocese of Malacca Johore is a diocese of the Latin Church of the Catholic Church in the ecclesiastical province of Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia. It is located in southern region of Peninsular Malaysia, administering Melaka and Johor states.

{{Infobox church | name = Christ Church Malacca | fullname = | native_name = Malay: Gereja Christ
Chinese: 基督堂 | image = Firstchurchmelaka.JPG | imagesize = 250px | landscape = | caption = Christ Church, Malacca | location = Malacca City, Malacca | country = Malaysia | coordinates = 2°11′39.6″N102°14′57.8″E | denomination = [[Anglicanism|Anglican] | previous denomination= Dutch Reformed | churchmanship = | membership = | attendance = | website = | former name = Bovenkerk | bull date = | founded date = 1753 | founder = | dedication = | dedicated date = 1776 | consecrated date = 1838 | cult = | relics = | events = | past bishop = | people = | status = | functional status = Active | heritage designation = | designated date = | architect = | architectural type = Dutch Colonial | style = | groundbreaking = 1741 | completed date = 1753 | construction cost = | closed date = | demolished date = | capacity = | length = 82 feet (25 m) | width = 42 feet (13 m) | width nave = | height = 40 feet (12 m) | diameter = | other dimensions = | floor count = | floor area = | dome quantity = | dome height outer = | dome height inner = | dome dia outer = | dome dia inner = | spire quantity = | spire height = | materials = | parish = | deanery = | archdeaconry = Lower Central Archdeaconry | diocese = Diocese of West Malaysia | province = Province of South East Asia | presbytery = | synod = | circuit = | district = Malacca | division = | subdivision = | bishop = Rt Rev D Stevan Abbarow | dean = | subdean = | provost = | provost-rector = | viceprovost = | canon = | canonpastor = | precentor = | archdeacon = Venerable Charles Fraser | prebendary = | rector = | vicar = Rt Rev Dr Jason Selvaraj | priest = Rev Paul Khoo Boo Huat | asstpriest = | minister = | assistant = | honpriest = | deacon = | deaconess = Pricilla Chuah Wei Mun | seniorpastor = | pastor = | abbot = | chaplain = | reader = | organistdom = | director = | organist = | organscholar = | chapterclerk = Amos Makeswaran | laychapter = | warden = | flowerguild = | musicgroup = | parishadmin = | serversguild = | logo = | logosize = }}

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Church of Saint Paul, Malacca</span> Historic church in Malacca, Malaysia

Saint Paul's Church is a historic church building in Malacca City, Malaysia, that was originally built in 1521, making it the oldest church building in Malaysia and Southeast Asia. It is located at the summit of St. Paul's Hill and is today part of the Malacca Museum Complex comprising the A Famosa ruins, the Stadthuys and other historical buildings.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Malacca</span> State of Malaysia

Malacca, officially the Historic State of Malacca, is a state in Malaysia located in the southern region of the Malay Peninsula, facing the Strait of Malacca. The state is bordered by Negeri Sembilan to the north and west and Johor to the south. The exclave of Tanjung Tuan also borders Negeri Sembilan to the north. Its capital is Malacca City, which has been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 7 July 2008. Malacca City is 148 kilometres southeast of Malaysia's capital city Kuala Lumpur, 235 kilometres northwest of Johor's largest city Johor Bahru and 95 km northwest of Johor's second largest city, Batu Pahat.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Malaysia Youth Museum</span> Museum in Melaka Tengah, Malacca, Malaysia

The Malaysia Youth Museum is a museum in Malacca City, Malacca, Malaysia, which dedicated to the youth of Malaysia and their contribution to the economic and social wellbeing at regional, national, and international levels.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Church of St. Francis Xavier (Melaka)</span> Church in Melaka City, Melaka State, Malaysia

The Church of St. Francis Xavier is a church in Malacca City, Malacca, Malaysia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St. Paul's Hill</span> Hill in Malacca City, Malacca, Malaysia

St. Paul's Hill is a hill in Malacca City, Malacca, Malaysia. It was originally known as Malacca Hill during the Sultanate period and Mary's Hill during the Portuguese period.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Middelburg Bastion</span> Historical structure in Malacca, Malaysia

The Middelburg Bastion was one of nine bastions of the Fortress of Malacca, in Melaka City, Melaka, Malaysia located at the mouth of Melaka River. The bastion has been restored, together with cannons, and is open for visitors. The Dutch name is in reference to the city of Middelburg, Zeeland.

References

  1. "St Peter's strives to be a loving parish". Herald Malaysia. 6 January 2023.
  2. Victor Lieberman (2003). Strange Parallels: Volume 2, Mainland Mirrors: Europe, Japan, China, South Asia, and the Islands: Southeast Asia in Global Context, C.800-1830. Cambridge University Press. pp. 844–. ISBN   978-0-521-82352-4.
  3. Administrator. "St Peter's Church Melaka Malaysia - History - About Us". stpetersmelaka.org.
  4. "St. Peter's Church". AmazingMelaka.com.

2°12′08.8″N102°15′11.4″E / 2.202444°N 102.253167°E / 2.202444; 102.253167