Saint Mary Assumption Cathedral : Jakarta, Indonesia
With a Neo-Gothic style, Saint Mary Assumption Cathedral remains a magnificent remnant of the past and a symbol of the multi-denominational nature of the country. The Roman Catholic Church had been outlawed during most of the presence of the Protestant Dutch in Indonesia.
The church was finally allowed to operate when Napoleon installed his brother as the King of Indonesia in 1806. Thus, the Jakarta cathedral was first built in 1810, but it collapsed in 1890, after a fire had weakened its foundations. The present cathedral, inaugurated in 1901 near Merdeka Square, is part of the heritage of this latter period of the Dutch East Indies.
The neo-Gothic architecture, characteristic of Europe in the 19th and 20th centuries, will delight art lovers. You will recognize it by its two finely sculpted towers that rise like arrows above the structure and which are nearly 60 metres high.
This remarkable building, located across from the Istiqlal Mosque, brings its share of solemnity and splendour to the historical district of the capital.
Nearby is a small museum dedicated to the history of Catholicism in Indonesia that is worth the visit.
Saint Mary Assumption Cathedral
Location: Jakarta, Indonesia