A 104-year-old church building belonging to St Joseph’s Church, Victoria Street, will be gazetted for conservation by the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA), St Joseph’s Church announced on Thursday (Jun 30).
Built in 1912, the Parochial House of St Joseph’s Church served as the headquarters of the Portuguese Mission till 1981, and later as the residence of the Bishop of Macau until 1999, when the Portuguese Mission ceased its presence in Singapore.
The building’s Portuguese Baroque style architecture showcases distinctive features such as pointed Gothic arches at the facade and pinnacles decorated with crockets on the roof. The building also features nine sets of Portuguese-style painted ceramic tiles, which can also be found in palaces, churches and public buildings in Portugal.
“It is an honour for the Church to have its Parochial House recognised and conserved for its architectural, historical and social heritage,” said Rector of St Joseph’s Church Father Alex Chua.
“We hope that this gazette will help reinforce the sense of heritage for future generations of Singapore Catholics and non-Catholics alike.“
The Parochial House will be conserved as part of the URA’s efforts to protect Singapore’s built heritage through its Conservation Programme.
The main church building, which was also built in 1912, was gazetted as a national monument in 2005.
Source : Channel NewsAsia – 30 Jun 2016