| |
| |
|
Outdoors Information |
|
|
|
Santa Cruz Church - the Portuguese Legacy in Bangkok
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.
MORE RESOURCES:
Outdoors - Google News |
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Dont Forget that Camping Gear Checklist Before You Leave on that Family Camping Adventure A camping gear checklist is an important tool to help you prepare and pack for that annual family camping trip. The last thing you want to remember about that camping trip is how you forgot that one piece of important gear and made the whole family unhappy. Bird Watching Journals - Preserve Your Bird Watching Experiences Bird Watching is a great way to escape the rat race and be one with nature. Alas, your bird watching experiences can fade with time. A Holiday in Rajasthan Romancing History - A Holiday in RajasthanRajasthan, the name evokes myriad impressions - an intricate tapestry of colour, sound and smell. Holidaying in Rajasthan brings one face to face with mammoth contradictions - where royal grandeur is easily offset by rustic charm and lavish opulence belies ingenious survival. Take a Hiking Pole on Your Next Hike It is the downhill ski racing competition of the winter Olympics. You watch a ski racer zoom down the slope manoeuvring through the ski gates. Tanzania Safari Top Five National Parks and Game Reserves Ask about perfect wildlife destinations and a Tanzania safari will be at or near the top of the list every time.But what about the national parks and game reserves within the country itself? Which are the best to visit because they can't all be equally good. The Kuan Yin Shrine, Bangkok - the Goddess of Mercy on the Chao Phraya The Kuan Yin Shrine in Bangkok is in an old Chinese building within a community on the Chao Phraya River where time seems to have stood still for the last 200 years.The site originally had two shrines built in the reign of King Taksin (1767 - 1782) by his Chinese supporters. The Benefits of Inflatable Fishing Boats Inflatable fishing boats are great yacht tenders/camping boats that are light enough to be carried in a backpack. Some 8-foot inflatable fishing boats are good for two and gear, and are large enough to float in moderate whitewater rivers. Tom Sawyer Day - Floating Down The River There were four of us on that first Tom Sawyer Day. I promised my friends an adventure-disaster, sure to get them wet and cold. Going it Alone: The Waterfall at Mendenhall Glacier, Alaska I stood at the observation point on the balcony at the Visitor Center overlooking the great Mendenhall Glacier at Juneau, Alaska. Before me was a beautiful scene. Campsite Meal Planning and Recipe Hello Again,Today we will be talking about meal planning. Meals are one of the most memorable aspects of any camping trip and if one meal is a disaster you will never hear the end of it. Kenya Safari Top Five National Parks The Kenya safari circuit is one of the best in Africa containing national parks and game reserves that consistently provide great wildlife sightings and experiences coupled with high quality accommodation.But within the country itself there are certain areas that are better than others to safari in. RV Camping at Casinos There's nothing that will quicken the interest of RVers like the prospect of free overnight parking. Places such as Wal-Mart parking lots, and truck stops, are well known freebies, and if you are on the move in your RV, expanding the list of possible free overnight camping locations will broaden your options. Old Barney -- A Visit to Barnegat Light, New Jersey Barnegat Light, NJ is the home to "Old Barney" a historic lighthouse located at the northern tip of Long Beach Island. Long Beach Island, or "LBI" as the vacationing folks like to say, is a narrow island nearly twenty miles long and six miles at sea off the coast of Ocean County, NJ. Things to Make Your Gap Year in Africa Easy! The kind of things you pack when you go on a trip says a lot about where you're heading and what you're going to be doing.Taking a warm top and a 'blanky' is OK if you're going to stay at Granny's house, but when you're taking a gap year in Africa, these items come highly recommended. Inflatable Boats: An Overview Inflatable boats are made from flexible material, usually rubber, canvas, or neoprene, and hold air at high volume but low pressure. They need to be fitted with a frame to which an oarlock mount is firmly attached. Find Outdoor Camping Gear Online at Great Discount Prices Before you take off on that great outdoor adventure, be sure to write a list of all of the outdoor camping gear you will need with you and your family when on that camping trip. Some of the most important items to remember to bring are backpacks, tents, sleeping bags and camping furniture to name a few items. Is The Workamper Lifestyle For You? If you've been dreaming of traveling the highways in your RV, but see the adventure as something far in the future when you retire, then you may want to seriously consider giving the Workamper lifestyle a try. You can live your dream now; it just takes a little preparation and commitment. Santa Cruz Church - the Portuguese Legacy in Bangkok 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. Rafting on the Rogue River in Oregon Oregon's Rogue River is one of the nation's most beautiful. The Rogue River begins in Crater Lake and extends 215 miles until it empties in the Pacific Ocean. Arrowhead Hunting and Rock Collecting We weren't planning to go rock and arrowhead hunting in Arizona. My wife and I just liked that hotspring in the desert.
|
| home | site map | Ocean Photography |
| © 2006 |
