Did you know that St. Peter’s Church served multiple linguistic groups? It stands as a testament to Singapore’s multicultural heritage. St. Peter’s Church is a Roman Catholic church. It is located on Queen Street. The church is in the Bras Basah Bugis precinct. This area is known as Singapore’s arts district.
The history of St. Peter’s Church is deeply connected to the growth of the Chinese Catholic community in Singapore. Constructed between 1869 and 1870, St. Peter’s Church served all Chinese dialect groups. It also ministered to their Indian brethren. The church was a center for European missionaries. They needed to learn Chinese before being posted elsewhere.
Initially, the Chinese Catholic community helped build the first permanent Roman Catholic worship space on Bras Basah Road. They covered a fifth of the construction costs. The chapel was ready by 1833. However, by the late 1830s, the chapel became too small. Instead of expanding it, work began on the Cathedral of the Good Shepherd nearby. Saint Joseph’s Institution took over the chapel’s premises.
Father Pierre Paris developed the apostolate among the Chinese and Indians. It became hard to accommodate different linguistic groups in the cathedral. By the late 1860s, a new church was needed. Thus, St. Peter’s Church was erected. Napoleon III of France reportedly paid for the compound wall. The church was smaller then with only seven pairs of columns.
In 1883, Father Paris gave the church its three bells. These bells are still in use today. Sadly, his health prevented him from attending their blessing. He also started construction of the spire. Father Paris passed away on May 23, 1883. He had served in the Straits for over 28 years. He is buried in St. Peter’s Church.
Father Ludovic Jules Galmel completed the spire and built the presbytery. He took over from Father Paris during his illness. Another priest assisted him to minister to the Indian congregation because he did not speak Tamil. The Indian congregation moved to the Church of Our Lady of Lourdes in 1888. St. Peter’s Church then became exclusively Chinese. Father Alphonse Vignol focused on the different Chinese dialect groups.
From 1891 to 1892, St. Peter’s Church was enlarged. The sacristy and transept were added. Father Vignol erected three marble altars. Bishop Edouard Gasnier consecrated the High Altar in the new sanctuary. Wealthy Chinese parishioners like Mr. Low Gek Seng contributed to further extensions. The choir loft and entrance porch were enlarged from 1910 to 1911.
In 1910, Cantonese and Hakka speakers left for the new Church of the Sacred Heart. Hoklo people departed for the Church of Saint Teresa in 1929. Wealthy Chinese parishioners financed these churches. Mr. Jacobe Low Kiok Chiang and Mr. Chan Teck Hee were key figures.
A major renovation occurred in 1969 for the church’s centenary. The original neo-gothic high altar was removed. A modern altar replaced it. The stained-glass windows became the focal point. Recent restorations reversed many of these changes.
An Aristide Cavaillé-Coll pipe organ was once installed in St. Peter’s Church. Built in 1877, it was dismantled in the 1960s. Parts of its facade were moved to Catholic High School. In 2008, a second-hand Allen Digital Computer Organ was installed.
The parish of St. Peter’s Church declined from the 1980s. New churches were built in housing estates. Parish boundaries were redrawn. Many parishioners moved to churches closer to their homes.
St. Peter’s Church was gazetted as a national monument on February 10, 2003. It hosted exhibitions for the Singapore Biennale in 2006. Currently, Discalced Carmelite Friars care for the church. Masses are in English, Mandarin, and Cantonese.
Most recently, the church underwent a major renovation. It was completed in 2016. The renovation reinstated original features. Ornate encaustic tiles were replaced. The aging roof was repaired. Unsympathetic changes from the 1970s were reversed. A high altar was re-installed. St. Peter’s Church received the Urban Redevelopment Authority’s Architectural Heritage Award in 2016. So now you know more about this beautiful and historically significant church. Take a moment to appreciate its enduring legacy.