Category Archives: Chantaburi

“Muang Chan”, the nickname for Chanthaburi, is about 330 kilometers south-east of Bangkok. It is famous for its gem and jewellery trading market which is the largest in the country. The province is also rich in natural resources with beautiful beaches, waterfalls, coral reefs and mountain tops. However, what draws me most to this area is the historical record. King Thaksin rallied the troops here after the fall of Ayutthaya and the French occupied the town for about 11 years after a territorial dispute.

The oldest part of the city is along the riverfront. Walking down these narrow lanes is not only like walking back in time but it also feels that you are being transported to another country. Many of the buildings, which are over one hundred years old, are in a dilapidated state. Others have unfortunately been pulled down and replaced with concrete structures.

But, it is not too late for them to do anything. Local people have banded together to help preserver their heritage. They are being supported by the local government and the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) who preparing to turn these winding lanes into walking streets and the next tourist attraction for the city.

If you are planning on visiting Chanthaburi, or are passing through to head to Koh Chang in Trad, then make sure you take time to explore the old part of the city. More tourist information for this province at our ThailandGuidebook.com.

As many of us know already, Thailand is mainly a Buddhist country with other religions being a small minority. However, there are some areas where you can find large communities of Christians and Muslims. In Chanthaburi Province, Christians make up 4.14% of the population. Their largest place of worship is the Cathedral of Immaculate Conception alongside the Chanthaburi River in the town. This Gothic styled cathedral is regarded as the most beautiful cathedral in Thailand. It was originally built back in 1711 on the west bank of the river by Vietnamese Christians. It was then moved to the present site in 1834. At the start of the 20th Century a more permanet structure was built and this is the one that we can see today.

At present they are renovating the cathedral. During the Second world War, the roof structure was removed in order not to be made a target for bombers. As you can see from these pictures, they are now putting back the twin 17 meter high spires for the first time. By my reckoning, this would make the cathedral about 37 meters high. They are planning to raise the spires in August and then have the renovation completed by the end of 2009. We went inside the impressive building to take a look but there was still a lot to do. However, the beautiful stained glass windows of Christian saints were all in place as was the principle statue of the Virgin Mary.

Christianity was first introduced to Thailand by European missionaries in the 16th Century. The Diocese of Chanthaburi was established by Pope Paul VI on 18 December 1965. It includes eight provinces in eastern Thailand. According to the latest statistics released in 2007, there are 38,918 baptised Catholics in this region. The US State Department in 2006 estimated that there were 438,600 Christians in the whole of the country. In addition, there are quite a few famous catholic schools, such as Assumption. However, you don’t have to be a Christian to attend these schools.

You can find out more information about Chanthaburi Province at our ThailandGuidebook.com website. Many thanks to the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) for inviting www.thai-blogs.com on a four day media trip to this province. Visit the Paknam Web Forums at ThailandQA.com for pictures of the highlights of this trip.