List of church buildings in Indonesia


These are lists of church buildings in Indonesia, based on:
Around 10% of Indonesia's total population are Christians, and there are approximately 61000 churches across Indonesia. This list strictly only includes notable church buildings and their historic significance in Indonesian history.

History

In Indonesia, church buildings in the first stage of their creation were simple, shed-like structures, built from bamboo or wood. Once sizable congregations had been established, more permanent buildings were erected, which seated hundreds or even over a thousand.

Precolonial era

There is evidence of the presence of Christian communities in north Sumatra as early as the 7th century.

Portuguese arrival in Indonesia

The Portuguese were the first Europeans to arrive in Indonesia. They sought to dominate the sources of valuable spices and to extend their Roman Catholic missionary efforts. Francis Xavier was the most well-known Portuguese missionary in the archipelago, the mission began in 1534 when some chiefs from Morotai came to Ternate asking to be baptised. He later returned to Moluccas and spent his time at Halmahera, Ternate and Amboina in 1546-1547, baptizing several thousand locals.
Dutch documents state that nearly all inhabitants of Ambon were Catholics, introduced by the Portuguese Jesuits, mostly arrived from Goa. Ambon had four fine church buildings and a small hospital, La Misericordia. The Jesuit Church of St. James was from mid-1605 used for Protestant services. In 1630 it was replaced by a stone building called St. Paul's Church.

Dutch East India company in Indonesia

in Indonesia came into a dark age when the Protestant-Dutch VOC defeated the Portuguese and took over their possession at Mollucas in 1605 and Solor in 1613. Dutch East India Company or Vereniging Oost Indie Compagnie suppressed the Catholic religion within their conquered territories and banned any Catholic missionary activities. Many Catholics were forcibly converted to Protestantism and Catholic churches were changed for Protestant purposes. As a result of their successful campaign in the East Indies and strong sentiment against the Catholics, many of the earliest surviving well-documented church buildings in the Indonesian archipelago are Protestant churches; most of them are concentrated along the north coast of Java and the islands of Moluccas.
Enslaved Catholics are also encouraged to adapt Protestantism and Dutch sounding names. This happened to the Mardijker people in Batavia and Depok. Catholicism didn't have any particular rights in Indonesia until 1808 under governor general Daendels, during the French occupation of the Netherlands.
In Batavia, few of the earliest Protestant church structures in Indonesia are well documented. The first church building in the city was a provisional church, erected in 1625 together with the earlier city hall. In 1632 the foundation for a proper church was laid. This was followed by the first stone to be laid in 1640 and the building, known as Oude Hollandse Kerk, was finished in 1643. The Old Holland Church was later expanded and renamed "Nieuw Hollandse kerk" in 1736. The new church was shaped octagonally according to Calvinism's focus on the sermon and had a domed roof. The church was toppled by an earthquake in 1808, and the remains were completely demolished by Governor General Daendels to obtain building materials for a new government center in Weltevreden. The base of the church can be seen in the Wayang Museum.
In 1644, Governor General Antonio van Diemen built a chapel in Batavia Castle at his own expense. Already in 1633, a simple wooden church with straw roof had been built for services in Malay. The Portuguese Binnenkerk was built between 1669 and 1672, initially for Malay services, but also to meet the needs of the Portuguese-speaking Christians. Another Portuguese-language church was built outside the city walls in 1695, the Portuguese Buitenkerk, now Gereja Sion, the oldest surviving church building in Indonesia.
On 18 May 1696, a former VOC officer Cornelis Chastelein bought the land with an area of 12.44 km2, 6.2% the area of today's Depok. There he established the first of its kind in Java, a Protestant congregation consisting of native Indonesians which was named De Eerste Protestante Organisatie van Christenen., dating back to 1714, can still be seen standing. Its church bell was made in 1675.

Dutch East Indies and post-independent Indonesia

In 1799 VOC officially went bankrupt and was dissolved in 1800 with its possessions taken over by the Dutch crown as the Dutch East Indies. Later in 1817, the Dutch government founded the Protestantsche Kerk in Nederlandsch-Indie as a union of Reformed, Lutheran, Baptists, Arminian and Mennonite denominations. During the 18th to 19th century the new architectural trends were Neoclassical architecture. Examples of these were Batavia's Immanuel Church, Semarang's Blenduk Church and GKJ Mojowarno.
Missionary activities increased with territorial gain. Works were mostly aimed to convert native Animist population such as the Bataks, Torajans, Minahasans, Papuans and Dayaks . These missionaries established many mission churches, schools and institutions across the country.
In the late 19th century until the end of the Dutch rule in 1942, Indonesia followed the Neogothic architecture that was common in Europe at that time. The best example of neogothic architecture built in Indonesia is Jakarta Cathedral. Art Deco and its various Dutch architectural branches, such as the Amsterdam School or Nieuwe Zakelijkheid, became the new fashion of the Indies during this period. A few examples of this architectural influence on churches are Bandung's Bethel church, Jakarta's St Joseph's Church, Semarang's Cathedral and Zion Church of Tomohon.
Apart from Art Deco as a form of modernism, there were also attempts by many Dutch architect to modernize the indigenous architecture by creating a synthesized form of architecture which combined Western architecture with indigenous Indonesian elements. In 1936, Henri Maclaine Pont designed the Pohsarang Church in Kediri, which incorporated Hindu-Buddhist elements into a Western building. This legacy lived on even after the independence of Indonesia, and was applied to various public buildings, including churches in the country. In 1972, native Balinese I Wayan Mastra became head of the Balinese Protestant church, and began a process of Balinization. When Blimbingsari church, a basic stone and wood building, was destroyed by earthquake in 1976, it was rebuilt in more Balinese pendopo style, with a garden with running water, traditional Balinese entrance and a semi-open aspect. A similar trend occurred in other islands, such as Batak Karo architecture of St. Francis Asisi's Church in Berastagi, and the Ganjuran Church, which used Javanese Joglo architecture.
Many Indonesian Protestants tend to congregate based more on ethnicity than liturgical differences. As a result, after the independence of Indonesia the Protestant Church of Indonesia was broke down into various denominations based on ethnicity, resulting in a relatively higher number of Protestant denomination per capita in the country. This was also due to the cultural and languages preferences among each of the different ethnic groups in Indonesia.

Today

Although Protestantism and Catholicism are two of the six recognized religions in Indonesia, prosecution against Christians is common in the country. Many of the conflicts are linked to the extremist groups in the country. In 1999, the Maluku sectarian conflict occurred, a religion and ethnicity based violence which claimed many lives of both Muslims and Christians. During this event the historic Immanuel Church in Hila was destroyed; however, it was later rebuilt with the help of the Muslim community. Another church in Ambon was set on fire in 2011, forcing the people inside to flee.
In December 2011, GKI Taman Yasmin had been sealed. Local authorities refused to lift a ban on the activities of the church, despite an order from the Supreme Court of Indonesia. Local authorities persecuted the Christian church for four years. In 2013 another church in Bekasi was forced to shut down due to the lack of an official permit for building the premise. While the state has ordered religious tolerance, it has not enforced these orders to protect the religious minority in the country. Three churches were burned and damaged in Temanggung, Central Java in 2011, as Christians were accused of distributing pamphlets that were "insulting" Islam.
In Aceh where Sharia law is applied, it is against Governor Regulation No. 25/2007 about Guidelines for the Construction of Houses of Worship. In the regulations, the construction of a church in Aceh requires 150 congregations to apply for a church construction permit. Indonesia is also notorious for its church bombing by extremists on Christmas Eve of 2000.

Oldest churches in Indonesia

Below is a list of oldest church buildings in Indonesia based on year of completion. To be listed here, the completion of the church building needs to be at least before the 20th century. Churches with alterations which completely changed their appearance after the 20th century should not be placed in this table.
NameImageLocationYear AffiliationArchitectural styleRemarks
GPIB Sion Jakarta ChurchJakarta1695Protestant Portuguese colonial/IndiesThe oldest church in Jakarta and possibly the oldest surviving church structure in Indonesia. It contains a Baroque pipe organ from the 17th century, which was built in Taiwan.
GPM Eben Haezer ChurchSila, Nusa Laut, Maluku1719ProtestantPortuguese colonial/Indies
GPIB Tugu Jakarta ChurchJakarta1747ProtestantPortuguese colonial/Indies
Pasundan Christian Church of CirebonCirebon, West Java1788ReformedDutch IndiesThe church was founded by zendeling A. Dijkstra who arrived on Cirebon in 1864. Later, the church moved into a small colonial building which has been built by the colonial government around 1788. The building is now a heritage building in Cirebon.
GPM Beth Eden ChurchNusa Laut, Maluku1817ProtestantPortuguese colonial/Indies
GPIB Tamansari Salatiga ChurchSalatiga, Central Java1823ProtestantDutch IndiesThe year of the church's founding is mentioned in the building.
GPIB Pniel Pasuruan ChurchPasuruan, East Java1829ProtestantDutch IndiesThe year of the church's founding is mentioned in the building.
All Saints ChurchJakarta1829AnglicanGeorgian StyleThe only Anglican Church in Indonesia. It was established by London Missionary Society and is the first English institution in the country.
GPM Baithlehem ChurchHutumuri, Southern Leitimur, Ambon Island, Maluku1832ProtestantDutch Indies
GPIB Bethel Tanjung Pinang ChurchTanjung Pinang, Riau Islands1836ReformedNeogothicThe oldest church in the region, was known as "De Nederlandse Hervormde Kerk te Tandjoengpinang", the building was renovated in 1962 with some minor changes on the facade.
GPIB Immanuel Jakarta ChurchJakarta1839ProtestantPalladian
Old Immanuel ChurchHila, Ambon Island, Maluku1854ProtestantDutch colonial / IndiesThe first building was built between 1780-1781 during the governance of governor Bernardus van Pleuren. The first building was wooden, later rebuilt using a more permanent material in 1854. On 20 January 1999, the building was destroyed by arson during Maluku secretarian conflict, but soon was rebuilt without altering its original form.
Old Church of BandaBanda Neira, Maluku1852ProtestantNeoclassicalThe church was established in the early year of Dutch colonization of the island, the old wooden church was destroyed by earthquake and rebuilt in 1852.
Yogyakarta1857ProtestantNeoclassical
Old Church of NollothNolloth, Saparua, Maluku1860ProtestantDutch colonial / Indies
GPIB Immanuel Probolinggo ChurchProbolinggo, East Java1862ProtestantNeogothicLocally known as the "Red Church" for its bright red facade and is the oldest church in town.
Old Church of WatumeaWatumea, North Sulawesi1872ProtestantIndiesThe church is the original wooden church building of Watumea, the first church in the city. The heritage wooden church was built in 1868 using local materials and was inaugurated on December 8, 1872. The design and construction were overseen by Hessel Rooker, a Dutch missionary. The church bell and other church appliances were imported from Germany. On March 4, 2003, the building was made a heritage building by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism.
St. Joseph's ChurchSemarang, Central Java1875CatholicNeogothicThe oldest Catholic church in Semarang.
GPM Soya ChurchNegeri Soya, Ambon Island, Maluku1876ProtestantUnknown foundation time. In 1876, Raja Stephanus Jacob Rehatta expanded the original building with permanent material. During the leadership of Leonard 8 Rehatta, the church was renovated in 1927. In 1996, the church was restored and made heritage building under the Maluku Department of History and Archeology. On April 28, 2002, riot occurred in Negeri Soya and the church was destroyed. The building was later rebuilt without altering the original form.
GKE Immanuel ChurchMandomai, Kapuas Regency, Central Kalimantan1876ProtestantNeogothicThis church is part of, it was established by Germans missionary of Zending Bazel mission in 1855.
GPIB Griya Mulya Purworejo ChurchPurworejo, Central Java1879ProtestantNeogothic
St. Joseph's ChurchCirebon, West Java1878-1880CatholicNeo-Renaissance
Jawi Wetan Christian Church of MojowarnoMojowarno, East Java1879–1881ProtestantNeoclassicalThe building of the church was pioneered by Kyai Paulus Tosari, early leader of the Mojowarno congregation. The first laying of the stone was done by Christina Chaterina Kruyt, daughter of the zendeling of Mojowarno at that time, Jan Kruyt, on February 24, 1879. The church was officially inaugurated on March 8, 1881. The church is the center of a local harvest festival called Unduh-unduh annually enacted on May.
St. Fidelis Church of SejiramSejiram, West Kalimantan1890-1892CatholicNeogothic, vernacular
St. Anthony of Padua's ChurchPasuruan, East Java1895CatholicNeogothic
Jakarta CathedralJakarta1891-1901CatholicNeogothicThe current building was built on top of a former Catholic church that collapsed in 1890. Lack of funding halted the construction for nearly 10 years.
GPIB Immanuel Semarang ChurchSemarang, Central Java1894ProtestantNeo-BaroqueThe oldest church established in Central Java, it was first built in 1753. The initial church building had a joglo-style. In 1894 it was renovated to current form with dome and two spire.
GMIM Sentrum Langowan ChurchLangowan, North Sulawesi1895ProtestantIndiesThe church was founded by Johan Gotlieb Schwarz to convert the local population of animistic belief into Christianity. The first church was established on 18 April 1847. The current building was built and completed on top of the former church building on 18 April 1895.
Bogor CathedralBogor, West Java1905CatholicNeogothicDesigned by M.J. Hulswit initiate February 12, 1905. Churchtower has a later date: 1929 designed by R.Baumgarten
Old Church of SikkaSikka, Flores, West Nusa Tenggara1899CatholicDutch IndiesDesigned by Antonius Dijkmans, the Pasteur who also designed Jakarta Cathedral in 1893. The Church was finished in 1899.
Church of the Birth of Our Lady, SurabayaSurabaya, East Java1899-1900CatholicNeogothicOldest church in Surabaya. First built in 1822 as Maria Geboorte Kerk by Mgr Lambertus Prinsen, it was re-built to its current form in 1899 by Fr J van Zanten SJ, and was consecrated as Onze Lieve Vrouw Geboorte Kerk in 1900 by the Archbishop of Batavia, Mgr Edmundus Luypen SJ. It suffered fire damage during the Battle of Surabaya.
Gereja Lahai RoiCijantung, Pasar Rebo, East Jakarta1908ReformedNeogothic

Largest churches in Indonesia

Below is a list of the largest church buildings in Indonesia, based on capacity. To be listed here, the building's capacity must exceed 5,000 and the building must used exclusively for church-related activities.
NameImageBuilding capacityAreaYearLocationRemarks
Bethany Graha Nginden35,0002000Surabaya
Holy Stadium - Gospel of the Kingdom12,0002007Semarang
GBI Mawar Saron10,0002003Kelapa Gading, Jakarta
Messiah Cathedral8,00020 September 2008Kemayoran, Jakarta
GBI Rock Denpasar5,000Denpasar
GBI Keluarga Allah Solo5,000Surakarta

By region

Java

DKI Jakarta
West Java
Central Java
East Java
Special Region of Yogyakarta
Aceh
Riau Islands
North Sumatra
West Sumatra
Bangka Belitung Islands
South Sumatra
Lampung
West Kalimantan
Central Kalimantan
South Kalimantan
North Sulawesi
South Sulawesi
West Sulawesi
Ambon Islands
In Ambon Island, many of the church buildings, including the 18th-century St. Immanuel's Old Church of Hila, were destroyed during the Maluku sectarian conflict. Some of these churches have been restored by the community.
Nusalaut Islands
Saparua Islands
Banda Islands
West Papua
Papua