Being a crucial place for spiritual essence, have you ever considered seeing a church from its artistic aspect?
Have you ever wondered that some churches you passed by along the road apparently have such unique designs that you might not realize?
Though not to opt-out its original purpose as a place for Christians’ prayers, yet it may be useful for you to be aware that there are a lot of churches built in our country, Indonesia.
Despite standing on a country dominated by Muslims, some churches turn out to be designed very artistically, making them so breathtaking to the eye.
Let us not wonder any longer—hereby is presented a list of five most beautiful churches in Indonesia that you should know.
1. Jakarta Cathedral Church
As a dream church for most Catholics to hold their wedding ceremony, this cathedral church is undoubtedly crucial to be in this list.
Becoming the first Catholic church to be built in Batavia after centuries of Roman Catholic Church ban in the East Indies as a part of history of Catholic in Indonesia, Jakarta Cathedral was designed in the neo-gothic style—a common style for churches during that period of time.
This church consists of three spires, two of which are the tallest ones called the Tower of David (north tower) and The Ivory Tower (south tower), while the other shorter one is called The Angelus Dei Tower—no wonder that it is also considered as one of the most largest churches in Indonesia.
Looking into the interior of the church, you will easily find lots of statues, like the statue of Our Lady Mary at the main portal and the statue of Pieta.
Even the musical instrument organ was also designed in a neo-gothic style.
If you are visiting or living in Jakarta, consider witnessing this beautiful church.
It is located at Jl. Katedral No. 7B, where you can come just for casual visits from 6am-12pm and 3.30pm-9pm daily.
While for Catholics willing to participate in Sunday masses, the church offers six masses every Sunday.
2. Church of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, Malang
Located in the center of Malang city, the next historical church on the list is the oldest church built in Malang.
Designed by a Dutch architect named Marius J. Hulswit, the church was built by the end of 1905, again with the concept of neo-gothic style.
The art of this neo-gothic concept is beautifully shown in how the rooms in the building are in the shape of arcs, with the roofs are designed like a dome and added with high pillars.
Also, the altar is accompanied by two statues of Jesus and Mary on the left and right sides.
Fourteen paintings of Passion of Christ are also hung neatly below the stained-glass windows on the left and right sides of the wall.
The church is located at Jl. MGR Sugiyopranoto No. 2—it is said to be easily found for its strategic location.
Catholics can attend the Sunday masses at 6am, 8am, 4.30pm, or 6.30pm every week.
3. Blenduk Church, Semarang
After series of Catholic churches, this other beautiful church in Indonesia is built for the Protestants, one of the religions in Indonesia, and is located in Semarang, Central Java.
Established way earlier in 1753, this church was designed in a joglo-style, and was even awarded the Best Maintained Old Place of Worship in the Architects’ Society of Indonesia for Central Java.
The church’s shape is octagonal, with a dome on top of the church, and that’s how the Javanese name mblenduk (dome-like shape) came from.
Having two square-based towers and topped with saddle-shaped roofs, the church also has artistic stained-glass windows on its walls and a spiral staircase—all adding up the artistic value of the church.
This Protestant church is located at Jl. Letjen Suprapto No. 32, and is available for casual visits from 6am-12am every day.
4. Kepanjen Catholic Church, Surabaya
Also widely known as the Church of the Birth of Our Lady, this Catholic church, considered to be the most beautiful one in Indonesia, is located in Surabaya, one of the famous cities in Indonesia.
This church is the oldest one in the history of Surabaya. It has been operating since 1899 and was designed by W. Westmaas following his previous construction of the Blenduk Church.
This church had to use 799 pillars made of galam wood from Kalimantan for the building’s foundation, covered by red bricks imported from Europe.
The building then had to perform three rounds of renovation due to destruction from bombs during the war, until the beautiful look of European gothic revival architecture was finalized in 1966 with two main towers and some structural changes for the roof section.
Located at Jl. Kepanjen No. 4-6, this church is indeed another must-visit artistic church in Indonesia.
Four masses are available each Sunday for Catholics to participate.
5. Marian Shrine of Graha Maria Annai Velangkanni (Our Lady of Good Health Church), Medan
Last but not least, Indonesia also has a very beautiful Marian shrine located in Medan, Indonesia.
Being the most modern among this list, this shrine was opened in 2005 and unlike other European-designed churches, this church is attractive for its Indo-Mogul style.
The authentic Indonesian style instilled to this church’s architecture made this church to be the only one in Indonesia to possess this model.
With Indian temple vibes, this blue-dominated building might be assumed as one of Hindu’s temples from the exterior, yet it was clearly a Catholic church dedicated for Tamil people. It was filled with statues of the saints with various expressions.
This church is open for public to visit and can be found at Jl. Sakura III No. 7-10.
However, unlike other Catholic churches, this shrine does not have any masses on Sunday, but is open for Rosary prayer and daily masses every day.
That is the list of the five most beautiful churches in Indonesia.
All are designed aesthetically with different historical values.
Hopefully those churches can be your next reference for your church visits.
