Immanuel Church built in honor of Willem I

Immanuel Church built in honor of Willem I

By Ida Indawati Khouw

This is the 3rd article on old churches in Jakarta, published
in commemoration of Easter. It is also the 37th in a series of
articles on protected buildings in the capital appearing in
Saturday editions of The Jakarta Post.

JAKARTA (JP): Immanuel Church in Central Jakarta not only has
the unique architectural distinction of being the sole rotund
church in the city, but also symbolizes the unity of various
branches of Protestantism during the Dutch era.

Built in 1834, the ecumenical church is located in what was
once the new town of Weltevreden (Gambir area in Central Jakarta)
to replace churches in the old city center of Kota (West
Jakarta).

The latter churches have all been demolished due to various
reasons.

According to available data, it took five years to complete
the construction of Immanuel Church before it was dedicated on
Aug. 24, 1839 to coincide with the birthday of Dutch King Willem
I.

It was initially named Willemskerk (Willem Church) to honor
King Willem I, who tried to unite various Protestant
denominations and to form one church based on the liberal ideas
of brotherhood, tolerance and equality.

"The king was a pragmatist in that he thought it would be
simpler if Christian denominations were united," said Hermanus
Arie van Dop, an expert on liturgy and church music from the
Jakarta School of Theology (STT Jakarta).

The king's idea could only be realized here, not in the
Netherlands, "because Dutch people here were more liberal than
those in their hometowns, where the people felt shackled," van
Dop said.

It was only in 1948 that the church got its current name.

Sources said that the decision to build the ecumenical church
here was taken in 1832 by congregations of the Reformed Church
(the Calvinists) and the Lutheran Church in Batavia.

But van Dop said that congregations of other denominations
like Mennonites also joined the religious services at
Willemskerk.

The unity of the denominations can be seen to this day, due to
the existence of four wooden tablets placed on the walls behind
the pulpit.

The tablets show names of all the ministers of the former
churches in Kota.

Those were ministers of Portuguese and Malay speaking
churches, Nederduitsche (Low German), Lutheran and Evangelical
congregations.

Several antique items originated from Kota's churches and are
still found here.

Adolf Heuken noted in his book Historical Sites of Jakarta
that the two silver dishes for bread from the Portuguese Church,
a baptismal font, two silver dishes and two silver tablets were
collected from the old Lutheran Church, one of the churches that
no longer exists in Kota.

An employee of Immanuel Church, Alex, said that the precious
items were kept in a cupboard and used only during Sunday
services.

The style of the domed church, designed by architect J.H.
Horst on the 1.5 hectare plot of land, does not follow
conventional Gothic church style.

"He (the architect) took his inspiration from Greek temples,
from classical theater and the Roman arenas," said Heuken.

The dominant features of the building, however, are
neoclassical, as demonstrated in the shape of the dome, the floor
plan and the columns, according to a paper entitled Restoration
of Immanuel Church Jakarta issued by Haskoning Royal Dutch
Consulting Engineers and Architects.

"It stands as a beautiful white temple on a three-meter-high
basement," the paper said.

Van Dop said that the architect was also inspired by the
Pantheon temple in Rome.

The 28-meter-high building, with its majestic doors and
windows, has perfect acoustics and is ideal for the 157-year-old
pipe organ at the church due to the presence of the dome, he
said.

"I think the architect knew about acoustics," said van Dop,
who is also expert on pipe organs.

Unfortunately, the good acoustic sounds are not supported by
the surroundings.

"The sounds are interfered with by the hectic environment of
the Gambir area, especially since Gambir Railway Station (located
opposite) is a two-level station and trains can clearly be heard
in the church," he added.

D.R. Maitimoe said in the book "The Background and
Establishment of Immanuel Church that the budget for the
construction of the church was 192,000 guilders.

"Money was collected from the Reformed and Lutheran
congregations and amounted to 80,000 guilders, governor general
Baud granted 92,000 guilders, while congregations from Java and
Sumatra collected 20,000 guilders.

Unfortunately, the church is now under dispute after it was
sold by irresponsible leaders of the Protestant Church in Western
Indonesia (GPIB), the current owner of the building, to private
companies during 1996 and 1997.

Reports said that the private companies planned to build a
shopping complex on the site, which was opposed by the Immanuel
Church congregation who then filed a lawsuit through the Central
Jakarta District Court. The case is currently suspended.