Change coming to St. Joseph's Church

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.