Kwitang Church now a heritage site

JAKARTA: The Indonesian Kwitang Christian Church was officially declared a heritage building by Central Jakarta Mayor Hosea Petra Lumbun on its 75th anniversary on Saturday.

The church, formerly known as Christelijke Gereformeerd Kerk van Batavia during Dutch colonialism, was designed by architect F. Wiemans.

Clergyman Hendra Gosana said a gubneratorial decree had been issued in 1993 designating the church as a heritage site.

"But we wanted to make this fact public on our 75th anniversary," he said.

The church, which has a congregation of about 7,000 members, is the third church declared a cultural site in the city after the 170-year-old Immanuel Church in Gambir and the 309-year-old Sion Church on Jl. Pangeran Jayakarta, West Jakarta.

The announcement was marked by the mayor and the priests placing a signed plaque in the church. -- Antara