12 Interesting Facts About Cathedral Church
When you ride around Jakarta with Jakarta City Tour Bus, you will see this antique building with neo-gothic theme in front of Istiqlal Mosque. Behind its sturdy looks, this old building apparently has some interesting facts you have to know. Check these out!
1. The first real Cathedral building was inaugurated as church on February 1810.
2. But on July 1826, the church was burnt along with other 180 houses around it. The new church was then built for the needs of Catholic people at that era, at the other place where now used as the Cathedral church. This church then inaugurated on November 1829 with a name ‘The Church of Our Lady of the Assumption’.
3. But then the church collapsed in April 1890 due to some damaged pillar construction. The new construction was then designed by Pastor Antonius Dijkmans on November 1890.
4. The laying of the cornerstone was in 1891. But due to money problem, the construction stopped for years until in 1898, Cuypers-Hulswit continued to build the church again.
5. This second construction was inaugurated as church on April 21st 1901.
6. The official name of this church was The Church of Our Lady of the Assumption, or “De Kerk van Onze Lieve Vrouwe ten Hemelopneming” in Dutch.
7. The building was designed in a shape of cross with the size of 60 x 20 meters.
8. It has three towers, the north tower is called “The Fort of David”, the south is “The Ivory Tower”, and the tower rises above the roof’s cross intersection and measured 45 meters tall from the ground, is called “The Angelus Dei Tower”.
9. There are 3 bells placed on the towers. The bell gift from Clemens George Marie van Arcken placed at The Fort of David. The smaller bell from Chasse placed at The Ivory Tower. And the biggest bell named Wilhelmus was a gift from J.H. de Wit.
10. On The Ivory Tower, there is a clock with a brand “Van Arcken & Co” written on it.
11. At the church’s front garden, there is a statue of Christ the King, also a statue of Mother Mary at the side of the church, which really looks alike to Mother Mary statue in Lourdes, France.
12. This church has a museum for attracting foreign or local tourist enthusiasm. This museum was built from the idea of Pater Rudolf Kurris who loved historical things. Yes, of course this museum has plenty historical church objects such as framed prayer text, the Zucchetto and Crosier of Pope Paulus VI. the Chalice and Chasuble of Pope Yohanes Paulus II, Santo and Santo Relics, and many more.
