Change coming to St. Joseph's Church<\/p>\n
St. Joseph's Catholic Church on Jl. Matraman Raya in East
\nJakarta is not included on the capital's list of protected
\nbuildings, but a plan to renovate the building has sparked
\ncontroversy among the congregation, even reaching the Jakarta
\ngovernor. This is the 71st article in our series on Old Batavia,
\nwith future profiles to appear every two weeks..<\/p>\n
By Ida Indawati Khouw<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): The schedule is clear: the congregation of St.
\nJoseph's Catholic Church will have their last mass at the old
\nchurch on Sunday before temporarily moving to Marsudirini school
\nhall next door as part of the church will be demolished to make
\nway for the widening of the building.<\/p>\n
The project in itself is not extraordinary; churches are
\nfrequently renovated to accommodate a growing congregation. The
\nchurch, a landmark for its area, was built 76 years ago.<\/p>\n
But St. Joseph is in the specific architectural style of the
\n1920s, a rarity in the city as old buildings fall victim to the
\nwrecker's ball.<\/p>\n
Moreover, it is the work of noted architect Frans Johan
\nLouwrens Ghijsels (1882-1947), who designed many renowned
\nbuildings in big cities, such as the Kota railway station in
\ndowntown Kota, Hotel des Indes (now the site of the Duta Merlin
\nshopping complex in Central Jakarta) and the Tjikini swimming
\npool in Central Jakarta.<\/p>\n
Ghijsels, of course, did not design a church with the capacity
\nfor today's 7,000-member congregation, which has necessitated the
\nchanges. The problem is that many fear the changes will affect
\nthe originality of the building, which received the Jakarta
\nadministration's award for preservation in 1996.<\/p>\n
Thus, it is understandable that some church community members
\noppose the plan as the work will affect the beautiful round altar
\nsituated at the back, although it will not damage the front part
\nwhich experts say is typical of Ghijsels' style.<\/p>\n
\"It is one of the few high-quality buildings in Jakarta,\" said
\nJakarta historian Adolf Heuken. But the writer who is also a
\nCatholic priest said he could understand that the parish needed
\nto expand the church to accommodate the growing number of
\ncongregation members.<\/p>\n
\"I think there are unfortunately no other proposed alternative
\nmethods that would not touch the front part,\" he added.<\/p>\n
The church was constructed between 1923 and 1924 to
\naccommodate the Catholic congregation living around Meester
\nCornelis (now the Jatinegara area in East Jakarta).<\/p>\n
Meester Cornelis was a relatively new area resulting from the
\nresidential growth of Batavia.<\/p>\n
Even though the Meester Cornelis congregation had yet to have
\nits own church building, data from 1921 show there were 1,052
\nCatholic community members in the area, of which 1,050 were
\nEuropeans and only two were Indonesians.<\/p>\n
At that time, masses were held at the Cathedral in Central
\nJakarta and then in the nearby Kramat Parish Church.<\/p>\n
Construction started in 1923 after a small competition for its
\ndesign and construction. \"The church council chose the design
\nsubmitted by the AIA (Algemeen Ingenieurs en Architecten)
\nbureau....\" according to the book Ir. F.J.L. Ghijsels Architect
\nin Indonesia (1910-1929) written by H. Akihary et al.<\/p>\n
For the ground plan Ghijsels, who was also the cofounder of
\nthe AIA, took the form of a cross with a central aisle and two
\nside aisles, a transept with short side transepts and a choir
\nenclosed by a pentagonal apse.<\/p>\n
Its interesting cubical form ceilings, otherwise known as
\ncassette plafond, can still be seen today.<\/p>\n
Noted architect Han Awal said that the shape of the formerly
\nnamed Sint-Josefskerk was the kloosterkerk (the monastery
\nchurch), marked by a straight form with the altar as the central
\npoint.<\/p>\n
\"At that time there were almost no other forms for churches,\"
\nHan said.<\/p>\n
The most interesting part of the church is its striking facade
\nwith a tall tower flanked on both sides by smaller, tower-like
\nstructures. They have parapets of natural river stones so that
\nthe wall was not easily stained and to protect the building from
\nwater.<\/p>\n
On the top of the towers were small dome-like roofs which were
\ninfluenced by the style of the Middle East, according to Han.
\nOther sources claim that they adopted a Byzantine style.<\/p>\n
This type of facade, called Gevel Archictecture, is common in
\nthe Netherlands, and is indicated by the exterior which seems to
\nbe separate from the whole construction.<\/p>\n
St. Joseph is the only church with the architectural style in
\nJakarta, according to Han.<\/p>\n
\"That's why the extension project of the church should be done
\nvery carefully so that the characteristics will be preserved, as
\nit is a precious asset,\" said the noted architect who has
\nrestored several old churches.<\/p>\n
The year 1931 was a benchmark in the church's history as the
\nfirst mass in the Malay language was held. It was due to the
\npresence of Manadonese troops here who brought their families.
\nTheir number reached 70 people.<\/p>\n
However, it was a one-off development, and Indonesian masses
\nwere only held regularly beginning in 1949.<\/p>\n
St. Joseph's parish played a great role in the development of
\nCatholic congregations in East Jakarta. Several new parishes
\nresulted from the development of St. Joseph's church including
\nthose at Bidara Cina, Cijantung, Cililitan, Kampung Sawah,
\nCipinang-Rawamangun, Klender and as far as Bekasi, about 40
\nkilometers east of Jakarta.<\/p>",
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