Jul 12

Cathedral in Chanthaburi

By Richard Barrow Email

Sunday 12th July, 2009 | 380 words | Category: Road Trips, Chantaburi | 4 feedbacks »

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.

Do you have any questions about Thailand? Maybe you are planning a holiday or just want to learn more about Thai culture. Have all of your questions answered for free at ThailandQA.com. These forums are part of the family friendly Paknam Web Network.

« Old Town in ChanthaburiThai Website: Thai Travel Blogs »
Comment from: Benny Tan · http://www.horizonchange.blogspot.com
*****
The design and architecture of the twin-towered gothic cathedral is quite similar to that of my hometown,Malacca.It's called St.Francis Xavier Church built during the Dutch occupation in 1624 A.D.
12/07/2009 @ 22:45
Comment from: Bangkok Buffets Guide · http://www.hungrysiam.com/buffet/
I've never been there and never know this place existed. Will visit someday.
14/07/2009 @ 16:52
Comment from: ploy · http://ploypring.hi5.com
****-
I live in Chanthaburi Province .It's beatiful very much.And I love Chanthaburi so much.
14/07/2009 @ 19:26
Comment from: Mr Francis Duffy Email
I have a house in Chanthaburi. I visited the Cathedral in August and was told it is due to reopen on 4th December. The centre piece being a statue of Mary covered in 100,000 gems. It was amazing watching this being performed. I wish them the best of luck and hope to be there early next year.
01/10/2009 @ 02:20

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