Santa Cruz Church – the Portuguese Legacy in Bangkok
Posted by Eric Lim
Santa Cruz Church, the church of the holy cross, was built in
the reign of King Taksin, a legacy of Thai-Portuguese relations
that date back to the 16th century.
Santa Cruz Church, the church of the holy cross, was first built
the reign of King Taksin, a legacy of Thai-Portuguese relations
that date back to the 16th century. Nestled among old houses on the river banks and newer
buildings inland, the reddish dome of the old Catholic church
is a prominent landmark on the Chao Phraya. Descendants of the early Portuguese traders built the first
Santa Cruz Church in 1770 after the fall of Ayutthaya. The
Portuguese, the first Europeans in Thailand, arrived in
Ayutthaya shortly after they captured Malacca in 1511. As the area was also claimed by the Thai King, the Portuguese
shrewdly dispatched an envoy to the court of Ayutthaya in the
same year to reassure the Thais of Portuguese intentions. In 1516, Portugal signed a treaty with Thailand to supply
firearms and munitions. With the treaty came with the rights
to reside, trade and practice their religion in Thailand. This
brought the first Portuguese friars in 1567 who established the
Catholic Church in Ayutthaya. After the destruction of Ayutthaya in 1767, the Portuguese
continued with their military support to King Taksin in his
efforts to drive the Burmese out of Thailand. The supply of
cannon and muskets contributed significantly to King Taksin's
army. In recognition of their services, King Taksin granted the
Portuguese a plot of land to build a wooden church in an area
called Kudi Jeen. Thus, the church is sometimes called Wat
Kudi Jeen. Over the next 65 years, the wooden church in Kudi Jeen fell
into a state of disrepair. In 1835, Cardinal Pallegoix rebuilt and
renamed the church, Santa Cruz Church meaning Holy Cross
Church in English. The present Santa Cruz Church was rebuilt again in 1913 and
this structure has remained ever since. The gate to the spacious courtyard is a short distance from the
Santa Cruz Pier on the Chao Phraya. A crucifix is in one
corner of the courtyard and a statue of Mary within a beautiful
garden in the other. Within a smaller courtyard, surrounded by a low wrought iron
fence, stands the neat cream colored church trimmed in
reddish-brown and topped by a domed belfry. The sidewalls of
the church are decorated with stained glass etched with biblical
images. The church and the inner courtyard are closed on weekdays.
To the rear of the church, away from the Chao Phraya, there's
a little cemetery with nine tombstones encased in marble. The well-kept church grounds are quiet on weekdays save for
the rhythmic strains of children reciting their lessons in the
Santa Cruz Convent nearby and the occasional passerby on the
way to the pier. Like an urban oasis with narrow sois (lanes) leading to the
busy streets outside, the Santa Cruz Church is all that remains
of Portuguese influence in Kudi Jeen today. The Santa Cruz Church is part of the Bangkok Communities that make up the the rich cultural milieu of Bangkok. Santa Cruz Church first appeared in Tour Bangkok Legacies, a travel
site with a historical perspective of renowned places preserved
for posterity and the legendary figures who left these legacies
in the landscape of Bangkok. The author, Eric Lim, is a free-
lance writer who lives in Bangkok Thailand.
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