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Andre Bern -
3 years ago
A typical red church stands on Ronggowarsito St. (Dutch: Kloosterstraat). The red colour comes from red bricks specifically brought from the Netherlands. Saint Joseph's Church is one of the oldest Catholic churches in Java. The first Indonesian vicar apostolic, Mgr. Soegijapranata had his seat as well as took parish duties in this church.
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In the early of 1800's, Catholicism entered Semarang. A congregation was established by Father Prinsen who was in charge of handling Catholic religious duty. Due to the lack of fund, the congregation did not have a church. In accordance, Catholic communities had held a weekly mass in Immanuel Church (today Gereja Blenduk), a Protestant basis church. When a Dutch governor paid a visit, he concerned with the situation. Then he proposed a fund to the colonial government to build a church. Designed by Van Bakel, a Dutch architect, the church was built in 1870. With ups and downs during the construction, this first Catholic church in Semarang was finally finished in 1875. It was blessed by Mgr. Joseph Lijnen.
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St. Joseph's church is highly decorated. A Gothic altar stands in the front. Two unique chandelier lightings are hanging on the ceiling. A lot of stained glass windows, which depicting holy saints, produce soft ray of light inside the church. On the 2nd floor, a pipe organ is decorating magnificently, eventhough, it is no longer functional because of the aged machinery.
