St. Peter’s Church

St. Peter’s Church is now the oldest functioning Roman Catholic Church in Malaysia.

In 1641, Malacca fell to the hand of the Dutch after defeating the Portuguese in Malacca. This was followed by a period of persecution of the Catholics in Malacca by the Dutch. Churches were destroyed. Catholics were not permitted to have their own cemeteries or even to pray in their homes. Priests were forbidden to administer to their flock. In 1703, the Portuguese and the Dutch formed an alliance in the war of the Spanish Succession. As a result, the Dutch adopted a softer stance towards the Portuguese Catholics in Malacca. and in 1710, St. Peter’s Church was built on a piece of land donated by a Dutch gentleman, Maryber Franz Amboer.

St. Peter’s Church’s facade and decorations have a combination of eastern and western architecture. One of its bells was casted in Goa in 1608, and was salvaged from an older church the Dutch had burned down. There is also an alabaster statue of the Lord Before The Resurrection.

In the church compound, there statue of Mary which is a landmark for all Catholic Church around the world. The statue of Mary in St. Peter’s Church was erected on the feast of St. Peter on 29 June 1985 in conjunction with the 275th anniversary of St. Peter’s Church. Besides there is 14 tombstones in the church compound. St. Peter’s Church is the centre of many traditional religious celebrations, especially during Holy Week. St. Peter’s church is the mother church of the many descendants of the Portuguese community throughout the past 300 years of its existence. There is an interesting landscape in the compound of St. Peter’s Church. It was built based on a scene where Jesus asked Peter to walk across the water to him. As such, visitors are also invited to walk across the water.