The church of St Teresa in Kampong Bahru: Singapore's little Sacré-Cœur

At number 510 Kampong Bahru Road, on a rise of Bukit Purmei hill, stands a building without equal in Singapore: the Church of St Teresa, the island's only Catholic church built in the Romano-Byzantine style. Whoever climbs up from the road comes upon it suddenly, with its squat dome over the presbytery and the two twin towers crowned by small cupolas flanking the entrance. The resemblance to a French model is no accident: the first sketches were drawn by Father Jean M. Ouillon, procurator of the Paris Foreign Missions in Singapore, who drew openly on the basilica of the Sacré-Cœur in Montmartre. The final drawings were signed by Émile Brizay, the same engineer who designed the old local Ford factory.

The history

The history explains why this building has remained somewhat off to one side. When it was completed and opened on 7 April 1929, before some six thousand people and Governor Hugh Clifford, it was the island's first "rural" church: around it lay reclaimed marshland, not today's urban fabric. It was intended above all for Hokkien-speaking Catholics, the only large Chinese dialect group in Singapore that did not yet have its own parish, and for that reason it is also known as "the Hokkien church". The dedication to St Teresa of Lisieux, the "Little Teresa of the Child Jesus", stems from a concrete episode: acquiring the marshy land in 1925 was complicated, and the happy outcome was attributed to the saint's intercession.

The construction

The construction also had its price. Monsignor Émile J. Mariette, the priest who had pushed the project and who mastered both Hokkien and Teochew, died on 13 March 1928, struck on the head by a plank that fell from the bell tower under construction. Father Stephen Lee, who came from Malacca, took over the supervision. The foundation stone had been laid on 18 April 1927 by Bishop Pierre-Louis Perrichon.

The details

It is worth pausing on the details that often escape notice. The side windows are framed by triple arches, decorated with the motif of a cross inscribed in a circle. Above the porch, the two belfry chambers hold five bronze bells cast in 1927 at the historic Cornille-Havard foundry in Villedieu-les-Poêles, in Normandy: each is tuned to a different note, so that ringing together they form a chord. From the elevated position, the eye reaches all the way to the harbour area and towards Sentosa. The church has been a national monument since 11 November 2009, but it remains off Singapore's classic tourist itineraries, frequented mainly by the parish community.

How to get there

To get there, the handiest station is Outram Park (East-West, North-East and Thomson-East Coast lines), which is also a major interchange: from there the church is a few minutes away, with a short bus ride along Kampong Bahru Road or an uphill walk. As it is an active place of worship, it is best to respect service times if you want to visit the interior: roughly Sunday Masses in the morning and late afternoon, and a vigil Mass on Saturday evening. For up-to-date times and access it is worth checking the parish website (stteresa.sg) before going. Sober dress and silence are a must, as in any church in use.

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