Change coming to St. Joseph's Church

St. Joseph's Catholic Church on Jl. Matraman Raya in East Jakarta is not included on the capital's list of protected buildings, but a plan to renovate the building has sparked controversy among the congregation, even reaching the Jakarta governor. This is the 71st article in our series on Old Batavia, with future profiles to appear every two weeks..

By Ida Indawati Khouw

JAKARTA (JP): The schedule is clear: the congregation of St. Joseph's Catholic Church will have their last mass at the old church on Sunday before temporarily moving to Marsudirini school hall next door as part of the church will be demolished to make way for the widening of the building.

The project in itself is not extraordinary; churches are frequently renovated to accommodate a growing congregation. The church, a landmark for its area, was built 76 years ago.

But St. Joseph is in the specific architectural style of the 1920s, a rarity in the city as old buildings fall victim to the wrecker's ball.

Moreover, it is the work of noted architect Frans Johan Louwrens Ghijsels (1882-1947), who designed many renowned buildings in big cities, such as the Kota railway station in downtown Kota, Hotel des Indes (now the site of the Duta Merlin shopping complex in Central Jakarta) and the Tjikini swimming pool in Central Jakarta.

Ghijsels, of course, did not design a church with the capacity for today's 7,000-member congregation, which has necessitated the changes. The problem is that many fear the changes will affect the originality of the building, which received the Jakarta administration's award for preservation in 1996.

Thus, it is understandable that some church community members oppose the plan as the work will affect the beautiful round altar situated at the back, although it will not damage the front part which experts say is typical of Ghijsels' style.

"It is one of the few high-quality buildings in Jakarta," said Jakarta historian Adolf Heuken. But the writer who is also a Catholic priest said he could understand that the parish needed to expand the church to accommodate the growing number of congregation members.

"I think there are unfortunately no other proposed alternative methods that would not touch the front part," he added.

The church was constructed between 1923 and 1924 to accommodate the Catholic congregation living around Meester Cornelis (now the Jatinegara area in East Jakarta).

Meester Cornelis was a relatively new area resulting from the residential growth of Batavia.

Even though the Meester Cornelis congregation had yet to have its own church building, data from 1921 show there were 1,052 Catholic community members in the area, of which 1,050 were Europeans and only two were Indonesians.

At that time, masses were held at the Cathedral in Central Jakarta and then in the nearby Kramat Parish Church.

Construction started in 1923 after a small competition for its design and construction. "The church council chose the design submitted by the AIA (Algemeen Ingenieurs en Architecten) bureau...." according to the book Ir. F.J.L. Ghijsels Architect in Indonesia (1910-1929) written by H. Akihary et al.

For the ground plan Ghijsels, who was also the cofounder of the AIA, took the form of a cross with a central aisle and two side aisles, a transept with short side transepts and a choir enclosed by a pentagonal apse.

Its interesting cubical form ceilings, otherwise known as cassette plafond, can still be seen today.

Noted architect Han Awal said that the shape of the formerly named Sint-Josefskerk was the kloosterkerk (the monastery church), marked by a straight form with the altar as the central point.

"At that time there were almost no other forms for churches," Han said.

The most interesting part of the church is its striking facade with a tall tower flanked on both sides by smaller, tower-like structures. They have parapets of natural river stones so that the wall was not easily stained and to protect the building from water.

On the top of the towers were small dome-like roofs which were influenced by the style of the Middle East, according to Han. Other sources claim that they adopted a Byzantine style.

This type of facade, called Gevel Archictecture, is common in the Netherlands, and is indicated by the exterior which seems to be separate from the whole construction.

St. Joseph is the only church with the architectural style in Jakarta, according to Han.

"That's why the extension project of the church should be done very carefully so that the characteristics will be preserved, as it is a precious asset," said the noted architect who has restored several old churches.

The year 1931 was a benchmark in the church's history as the first mass in the Malay language was held. It was due to the presence of Manadonese troops here who brought their families. Their number reached 70 people.

However, it was a one-off development, and Indonesian masses were only held regularly beginning in 1949.

St. Joseph's parish played a great role in the development of Catholic congregations in East Jakarta. Several new parishes resulted from the development of St. Joseph's church including those at Bidara Cina, Cijantung, Cililitan, Kampung Sawah, Cipinang-Rawamangun, Klender and as far as Bekasi, about 40 kilometers east of Jakarta.