List of church buildings in Indonesia

These are lists of church buildings in Indonesia, based on:

• Completion year of the building.
• Grouped into regions

These lists only include notable church buildings, with an emphasis on the history.

History

In Indonesia, church building in the first stage of its creation were simple, shed-like structures, built from bamboo or wood. Once sizeable congregations had been established, more permanent buildings were erected, which seated hundreds or even over a thousand. Throughout the 19th-century, nowhere did the missionaries use indigenous building styles. Indigenous style churches were started in 20th-century, but not so many. Even now, church buildings applying traditional architecture are extremely rare.

Precolonial era

There is evidence of the presence of Christian communities (Chaldean Church) in north Sumatra as early as the 7th century

Portuguese Catholicism

Dutch documents tell us 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 and in 1630 it was replaced by a stone building called St. Paul's Church.

Dutch Protestantism

In 1605, VOC effectively prohibited Catholic missionary work and so the Spanish directed Catholic activity in some eastern islands from Manila. As a result, many of the earliest well-documented church buildings in the Indonesian archipelago were Protestant churches, these are distributed especially along the north coast of Java, e.g. Batavia (now Jakarta).

The Old Holland Church, whose base is still visible in Museum Wayang.

In Batavia, VOC officials gave first attention to the city walls, the fortification, the administrative buildings and their own houses. The first church building 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 lain in 1640 and the building, known as Oude Hollandse Kerk, "Old Holland Church" was finished in 1643. The Old Holland Church was demolished in 1732 because of damage by an earthquake, but the base is still visible in Jakarta's Museum Wayang.

The lower pictures are early church of Portugese Binnenkerk (later burned) and the Portugese Buitenkerk (a heritage building)

In 1644, Governor General Antonio van Diemen built a chapel in the Castle at his own expense. Already in 1633, a simple wooden church with straw roof had been built for services in Malay. The Portugese Binnenkerk (Portuguese Church inside the city walls) was built between 1669 and 1672, initially for Malay services, but was also to meet the needs of the Portuguese-speaking Christians. Another Portuguese-language church was built outside the city walls in 1695, the Portugese Buitenkerk, now Gereja Sion, the oldest surviving church building in Indonesia.

20th century attempted synthesis

The first attempt of using indigenous architecture for building appears with some groups of architects in the early 20th-century. This attempt to achieve a synthesis of eastern and western architectural styles was apparent in eclectic buildings such as Semarang's Pasar Johar and Bandung Institute of Technology.

Henri Maclaine Pont was one of the example of Dutch architect from this period. One of his masterpiece is the Pohsarang Church (1936) in Kediri which represents his attempt in incorporating Hindu-Buddhist elements into a Western building.

Most churches on this era followed the neogothic style that was common in Europe at the time.

Now

In Indonesia, persecution against Christian churches in Indonesia is still rampant especially in Aceh. In other parts of the predominantly Muslim country, churches are seeing phenomenal growth. Much of it comes from the Pentecostal churches. Pastors say more and more people, including Buddhists and Muslims, are starting to attend Christian services.

Oldest churches in Indonesia

Below is a list of oldest church buildings in Indonesia based on its year of completion. To be listed here, the completion of the church building needs to be at least before the 20th century. Church with alterations which completely changed its look after the 20th century should not be placed in this table.

Name	Images	Location	Year (current building)	Affiliation	Architectural style	Remarks
Zion Church		Jakarta	1695	Protestant	Portuguese colonial	The oldest church in Jakarta and probably the oldest surviving church in Indonesia.
Tugu Church		Jakarta	1748	Protestant	Portuguese colonial/Indies
Pasundan Protestant Church of Cirebon		Cirebon	1788	Reformed	Dutch Indies	The 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.
All Saints Church		Jakarta	1819 (land purchased)	Anglican	Neoclassical
Emmanuel Church		Jakarta	1839	Protestant	Neoclassical
St. Emmanuel's Old Church		Hila, Ambon Island	1854		Dutch colonial / Indies	The 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 Watumea		Watumea, North Sulawesi	1872	Protestant	Indies	The 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 meterial and was inaugurated on December 8, 1872. The design and construction was overseen by Hessel Rooker, a Dutch missionary. Church bell and other church appliances was imported from Germany. On March 4, 2003, the building was made a heritage building by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism.
St. Joseph's Church		Semarang	1875	Roman Catholic	Neogothic	The oldest Roman Catholic church in Semarang.
Soya Church		Negeri Soya, Ambon Island	1876			Unknown foundation time. In 1876, Raja Stephanus Jacob Rehatta expanded the original building with permanent material. During the leadership of Leonard Lodiwijk 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.
Purworejo Church		Purworejo	1879	Protestant	Neogothic
Gereja Kristen Jawi Wetan		Mojowarno, East Java	1879-1881	Protestant	Neoclassical	The building of the church was pioneered by Kyai Paulus Tosari (Kasan Jariyo), 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.
Jakarta Cathedral		Jakarta	1891-1901	Roman Catholic	Neogothic	Because of the lack of fund, the construction was halted for nearly 10 years.
Blenduk Church		Semarang	1894	Protestant	Baroque	The oldest church established in Central Java, established in 1753. The initial church building had a joglo-style
Schwarz Sentrum Church		Lawongan, North Sulawesi	1895	Protestant	Indies	The church was founded by Johan Gotlieb Schwarz to convert the local population of animistic belief (Alifuru) 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 Cathedral		Bogor	1896	Catholic	Neogothic
Makassar Cathedral		Makassar	1898	Catholic	Neogothic	Oldest church in Makassar. A bell tower was added later in the middle of the facade.
Church of the Birth of Our Lady		Surabaya	1899-1900	Catholic	Neogothic	Oldest 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 concecrated 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.

Largest churches in Indonesia

Below is a list of the largest church buildings in Indonesia based on its capacity. To be listed here, the building capacity must exceed 5,000 and the building must used exclusively for church-related activities.

Name	Images	Building capacity	Area	Year	Location	Remarks
Bethany Graha Nginden		35,000		2000	Surabaya
Holy Stadium - Gospel of the Kingdom		12,000		2007	Semarang
GBI Mawar Saron		10,000		2003	Kelapa Gading, Jakarta
Messiah Cathedral	File:Reformedmilleniumcenter.jpg	8,000		September 20, 2008	Kemayoran, Jakarta
GBI Rock Denpasar		5,000			Denpasar
GBI Keluarga Allah Solo		5,000			Surakarta

By regions

Java

Jakarta

• All Saints Church (1819)
• Emmanuel Church (1839)
• Gereja Pniel (1915)
• Jakarta Cathedral (1901)
• Koinonia Church (1889)
• Messiah Cathedral
• St. Jacob's Church, Kelapa Gading
• St. Joseph's Church, Matraman (1909)
• St. Paul's Church (1936)
• St. Theresia's Church (1934)
• Tugu Church (1748)
• Zion Church (1695)

• 
  Gereja Pniel, popularly known as Gereja Ayam, "Cock Church" in Jakarta.
• 
  St. Joseph's Church in Matraman.
• 
  Parochial Church of Pandu.

West Java

• Bandung Cathedral, Bandung (1922)
• Bogor Cathedral, Bogor (1896)
• Pandu Church, Bandung (1935)
• Pasundan Protestant Church, Cirebon (around 1788)
• Zebaoth Church, Bogor (1920)

• 
  Gereja Zebaoth in Bogor.
• 
  Bogor Cathedral.

Central Java

• Blenduk Church, Semarang (1894)
• GPIB Penabur Church, Surakarta (1980). The church was built over an older Calvinist church known as Indische Kerk (1832). The older church was destroyed by a flood in 1966.
• GPIB Purworejo Church, Purworejo (1879)
• Holy Rosary Cathedral, Semarang
• Semarang Cathedral (1927)
• St. Anthony's Church, Muntilan
• St. Anthony's Church, Surakarta
• St. Joseph's Church, Ambarawa
• St. Joseph's Church, Semarang (1875)
• St. Peter's Church, Surakarta

East Java

• Church of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, Malang (1905, 1930s (towers added)). The first Catholic church in Malang.
• Church of the Birth of Our Lady, Surabaya, (1899)
• Gereja Kristen Jawi Wetan, Mojowarno (1881)
• Protestant Church, Pasuruan (1829). The church was built on November 15, 1829.
• Mount Carmel Cathedral, Malang (1934)
• Pohsarang Church, Pohsarang village (1936)
• St. Anthony's Church, Pasuruan
• St. John the Evangelist's Church, Bondowoso

• 
  St. Peter's Church of Surakarta.
• 
  St. Anthony's Church of Surakarta.
• 
  Church of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in Malang.
• 
  Protestant Church of Pasuruan in the early 20th-century.

Yogyakarta

• Ganjuran Church, Bantul (1920s)

• 
  Ganjuran Church of Bantul, Yogyakarta, was built in vernacular Javanese joglo style.

Sumatra

North Sumatra

• Immanuel's Church, Medan (1921)
• Gereja Huria Kristen Batak Protestan, Medan (1912)
• Indonesian Christian Church of North Sumatra, Medan (1904). The church was formerly known as Reformed Church (Dutch Gereformeerde Kerk).
• Graha Maria Annai Velangkanni, Medan (2005)
• Medan Cathedral, Medan (1879, 1905 (renovated to current form))
• St. Francis of Assisi's Church, Brastagi (2005). The church was built in traditional Batak Karo architecture.

West Sumatra

• Padang Cathedral, Padang
• St. Barbara's Church, Sawahlunto (1920s)

Lampung

• Marturia Church, Bandar Lampung (1948)

• 
  St. Barbara's Church of Sawahlunto.
• 
  Immanuel's Church of Medan.
• 
  Indonesian Christian Church of North Sumatra in Medan.

Borneo

South Kalimantan

• Banjarmasin Cathedral, Banjarmasin (1931).

• 
  Banjarmasin Cathedral.
• 
  Banjarmasin Cathedral in the 1930s.

Sulawesi

North Sulawesi

• Catholic Church of Manado, Manado
• Old Church of Watumea, Watumea (1872)
• Schwarz Sentrum Church, Langowan (1895)
• Sentrum Church, Manado (1952)
• Zion Church, Tomohon (1930). The original wooden church was built at least before 1878, according to the first establishment of the bell tower, which was built in 1878. In 1929, the current church building was built above the original church. The building was inaugurated in 1930. The building is 30x20 meter.

South Sulawesi

• Makassar Cathedral, Makassar (1898)

West Sulawesi

• Toraja Church of Mamasa, Mamasa (1929).

• 
  Former building of the Protestant Church of Makassar.
• 
  Makassar Cathedral before the addition of bell tower.
• 
  The original building of the Catholic Church of Manado.

Bali

• Palasari Church

Lesser Sunda Islands

• Old Church of Sikka, Flores

The Moluccas

In Ambon Island, many of the church building, including 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.

• Ambon Cathedral, Ambon
• Gereja Maranatha, Ambon
• Joseph Kam's Church
• St. Immanuel's Old Church, Hila (1781, 1854).
• Soya Church (1876)

• 
  A memorial for the St. Immanuel's Old Church of Hila.