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.