St Mary's Cathedral, Kuala Lumpur

St Mary's Cathedral, Kuala Lumpur (8 February, 2006)


The St Mary's Cathedral (GPS: 3.15051, 101.69345), Kuala Lumpur, is an Anglican cathedral church. It is formally called the Cathedral of St Mary the Virgin. The cathedral began as St Mary's Church, which was consecrated by Reverend George Frederick Hose, the Bishop of Singapore, Labuan & Sarawak, on 13 February, 1887. In the beginning, it was just a wooden church located on Bluff Road, on the present location of Bukit Aman.

The present site on the Parade Ground, presently Dataran Merdeka, dates from 1893. The believers worshipping at Bluff Road have outgrown the capacity of the church, and thus a decision was made to relocate. The foundation stone was laid on 3 February, 1894, and the completed church building consecrated in February 1895, also by Bishop Hose. The new church building was designed by AC Norman, who is also credited with the design of the Sultan Abdul Samad Building nearby. It was constructed in early English gothic architectural style. This is apparent in the buttresses on the outside of the building.

The original building can accommodate 200 worshippers at one time. The nave has an open-timbered roof constructed of merbau and seriah wood. The apex is 13 meters (39 ft) above the floor. The chancel is paved with tessellated tiles and lit by stained glass windows on the octogonal end. During World War II, when bombs were being dropped all over Kuala Lumpur, the caretakers of the church removed the windows to protect them. However, they could not be found after the war, and had to be replaced.

An extension was carried out in 1958 with the construction of the Jubilee Hall at the rear of the church. Another renovation in 1968 added a double-storey annex. In 1983, St Mary was elevated to the status of cathedral. The proclamation was made on 8 September, on the Feast of St Mary the Virgin.

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