Church of the Sacred Heart, Singapore (30 July 2017)
Church of the Sacred Heart (GPS: 1.296, 103.84361) is a Roman Catholic church on
Tank Road, in the
Museum Planning Area of downtown
Singapore. To its left is the
Teochew Building. The church was established by Father Vincent Gazeau for the needs of the Cantonese- and Hakka-speaking congregation of Catholics, who until then were worshipping at the
Church of Sts Peter at Paul, which catered to the general Chinese Catholics.
Father Gazeau established a building fund in 1908 while the search was on for a suitable site. It is said that the site of an abandoned soya sauce factory became available following a novena - nine separate days of prayers - over the matter. Funding came largely from the Chinese speaking congregation, with various members also donating to specific items such as the teak pews, baptismal font and stain glass.
The Church of the Sacred Heart is two storeys tall. It has a spire that adds another two storeys over it. The building was designed by French priest-architect Father Louis Lambert in the French Baroque style. There are two side alters to Our Lady of Lourdes and St Joseph, complete with life-size statues of the both that were sculptured by Parisian artists.
The Church of the Sacred Heart did not fully escape the ravages of the Second World War. The firing of Japanese shells on the afternoon of 15th February 1942 destroyed its ceiling, pews and fittings, all of which were repaired or rebuilt after the war. The church itself underwent several rounds of renovations in 1969, 1985, 2002 and 2007, in keeping with the time. During the most recent renovations, a columbarium garden was added behind the church, making it the third parish in Singapore with a columbarium.
Contact
Church of the Sacred Heart
111 Tank Road,
Singapore 238069.
Phone: +65 6737 9285
Feast day of the Church of the Sacred Heart is the Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, which falls 19 days after Pentecost Sunday.
Taking the MRT to Church of the Sacred Heart
The Church of the Sacred Heart is easiest to reach using the
Fort Canning MRT Station (DT20), which is 450 meters away on foot. Second nearest is the
Dhoby Ghaut MRT Station (CC1/NE6/NS24) 750 meters away.
Church of the Sacred Heart Singapore (Dec 2022)
References