National Monuments of Singapore: Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary
PHOTO: Wonderwall.sg/Ng Kai
PUBLISHED ONDecember 28, 2024 9:45 AMByNg Kai
What is a national monument? Who gazettes them? How many national monuments are there in Singapore? To date, the Preservation of Sites and Monuments, a division of National Heritage Board, has identified and gazetted 75 buildings, structures and sites of national significance as an integral part of Singapore's built heritage.
And we're here to tell you all about them — one national monument at a time!
You've probably passed by or stepped into more than a few of them without realising they were National Monuments: Al-Abrar Mosque, Asian Civilisations Museum, the Civilian War Memorial, Saint Andrew's Cathedral, the Esplanade Park Memorials, Fort Siloso on Sentosa — no need to plan an itinerary for friends visiting from overseas; just show them this article!
In this edition, we cast a spotlight on one of the earliest Catholic churches to be built in Singapore, the Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
Location
The Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary was the 53rd building to be gazetted as a National Monument. The MRT station nearest to it is Hougang.
Significant dates
Dates built:
- 1853: An attap chapel was erected in Hougang to spread the Catholic faith
- 1898 - 1901: The present-day church was built on the same site as the original chapel
Milestones:
- Aug 2 1898: The foundation stone for the present-day church was blessed and laid by Bishop Charles Bourdon
- Dec 8 1901: The church was blessed and opened by Bishop Rene Fee
- 1933: The church underwent a major expansion
Date gazetted: Feb 10 2003
@wonderwallsg Established in 1853, the Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary is one of Singapore's oldest Catholic churches. #nationalmonuments #virginmary #christmas #catholic #history #church #worship #mary ♬ Boundless Worship - Josué Novais Piano Worship
History
The Catholic mission in Hougang began in 1852 with Father Ambroise Maistre, MEP (short for "Societe des Missions Etrangères de Paris" or "Society of Foreign Missions of Paris", a Catholic missionary organisation, who set up an attap chapel to serve the rural population residing there.
As the Teochew Catholic community expanded, a larger brick church, dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary and named the Church of Saint Mary, replaced the original chapel. A while after, Father Maistre was relocated to Penang, and Father Pierre Paris, MEP, replaced him.
(Incidentally, Father Paris and Father Marie F. Issaly later co-founded the Church of Saints Peter and Paul, another National Monument.)
Due to the size of the growing congregation, Father Casimir Saleilles, MEP, led the construction of the present-day church between 1898 and 1901 on the site of the original Church of Saint Mary. Blessed on Dec 8 1901, the feast day of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary, it was renamed the Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
The design was prepared by Father Charles B. Nain, who was also involved in other prominent architectural works in Singapore (such as the Former Chapel of the Convent of the Holy Infant Jesus, and the curved wings of the Former Saint Joseph's Institution).
Father Nain died in combat in France in World War I; his name can be found inscribed on the bronze plates of the Cenotaph (a memorial that is part of another National Monument of Singapore).
The church was expanded in 1933 to accommodate the increasing number of Catholics in the area, doubling its size with new transepts (the parts that cross the nave — the central part of a Catholic church where the congregation gathers for worship — at right angles to create the two arms of a cross), a sanctuary (the front part of a Catholic church where the priest stands during Mass and where the Word of God is proclaimed), and sacristy (the room in a Catholic church where religious objects used during rituals like Holy Communion are stored).
Next to the church is CHIJ Our Lady of the Nativity (formerly CHIJ Ponggol), a branch of Singapore's oldest Catholic girls' school (Convent of the Holy Infant Jesus, CHIJ), under the church's pastoral care.
The church continues to hold daily Masses in English, with additional Sunday Masses in Teochew, Mandarin, and Korean to cater to its diverse congregation, including Singapore's Korean Catholic community.
Design and architecture
Built in the Neo-Gothic style, the church originally had a rectangular layout, which became cruciform with the extensions added in 1933. This new layout is similar to the Cathedral of the Good Shepherd and Saint Joseph's Church.
Its standout features include a towering belfry with an ornate brass cross, decorative fanlights, rose windows, heavy timber doors, and well-ventilated louvred shutters.
Inside, the nave is lined with Corinthian columns, lancet niches for statues of saints, and stained-glass windows.
The Gothic high altar is framed by five stained-glass panels depicting Saint Francis Xavier, the Sacred Heart of Jesus, the Immaculate Conception, Saint Joseph, and Saint Teresa of the Child Jesus.
There are also chapels dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Conception on either end of the sanctuary.
The tombs of five priests, including Father Saleilles, are located in the nave.
The iconic marble statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary at the entrance was a gift from Sultan Ibrahim of Johor, in recognition of his friendship with Father Francis Chan, the church's parish priest between 1946 and 1955.
Opening hours
Regular visiting hours vary. Find out more here.
Admission
Entry is free.
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This article was first published in Wonderwall.sg.