St Peter and St Paul's Church, Singapore
| Church of Saints Peter and Paul | |
|---|---|
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| Basic information | |
| Location | 225A Queen Street, Singapore |
| Geographic coordinates | 1°17′52″N 103°51′04″E / 1.297914°N 103.851210°E |
| Affiliation | Roman Catholic |
| Rite | Latin |
| District | Archdiocese of Singapore |
| Country | Singapore |
| Completed | 1869–1870 |
The Church of Saints Peter and Paul (Chinese: 圣伯多禄圣保禄堂) is a Roman Catholic church in Singapore. It is located at Queen Street in the Rochor Planning Area, within the Central Area in Singapore's central business district.
The history of the Church of Saints Peter and Paul is closely linked with the beginning and growth of the Chinese Catholic community in Singapore. The church, with its tower, was constructed between 1869 and 1870. It was erected by the Chinese Catholic Mission serving a of all the Chinese dialect groups and their Indian brethren. It was also a centre for many European missionaries who needed to learn the Chinese language before other postings.
Initially, the Chinese Catholic community had contributed to the building of the first permanent Roman Catholic house of worship along Bras Basah Road. With a fifth of the construction cost borne by them, the chapel was ready by 1833. However, by the end of the 1830s, the chapel had become too small. Instead of enlarging the chapel, work was begun on the Cathedral of the Good Shepherd nearby and Saint Joseph's Institution took over the chapel's premises.
With the development of the apostolate among the Chinese and the Indians under Father Pierre Paris, it became increasingly difficult to accommodate the different linguistic groups in the Cathedral. By the late 1860s, a new church was needed and the Church of Saints Peter and Paul was erected. It is said that the cost of the compound wall of the church was defrayed by Napoleon III of France. The church was smaller then, with only seven pairs of columns. In 1883, Father Paris bestowed the three bells, which are still in use today, but the state of his health prevented him from being present when the bells were blessed. He also initiated construction of the spire. Father Paris died on 23 May 1883, after having worked in the Straits for over 28 years and is buried in the church. Father Ludovic Jules Galmel, who had taken over from Father Paris during his illness, completed the spire and built the presbytery. As he spoke no Tamil, another priest became his assistant to minister to the Indian congregation. When the Church of Our Lady of Lourdes in Ophir Road was built in 1888, the Indian congregation moved there. The Church of Saints Peter and Paul then became an exclusively Chinese parish under Father Alphonse Vignol, concentrating on the different Chinese dialect groups.
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