Saint Joseph's Church, Singapore

Saint Joseph's Church is a Roman Catholic church in Singapore. It is located along Victoria Street in the Rochor Planning Area, within the Central Area of Singapore's central business district. The church was constructed from 1906–12 with its foundation stone laid in 1904. The building was built in the Gothic style by the Portuguese Mission. Saint Joseph's Church is noted for its Portuguese-inspired religious traditions, such as the annual Good Friday celebrations.HistoryThe history of Saint Joseph's Church and that of its predecessor, the Church of São José, both built on the same site, is inextricably linked with the Portuguese Mission. Father Francisco da Silva Pinto e Maia of Porto, head of the Portuguese Mission, arrived from Goa in 1826 and founded the Mission in Singapore. When he died in 1850, he left his money and some land for the building of a small church. Part of that money came from the Portuguese Missions in China, whose procuration house was St Joseph’s Seminary in Macau. Under the system of padroado, his funds were augmented by a gift from the King of Portugal. The church, which was called São José (in English: Saint Joseph), was built by the priest who succeeded him, the Reverend Vincente de Santa Catarina, from 1851 to 1853, to mainly serve the Portuguese and Eurasian Catholics in Singapore.