A Historic Beacon: The Journey of Kayutangan Church in Malang

 

Malang is a city in East Java with many unique architectural buildings from the Dutch heritage. This unique building is not only a government building and public facilities, but also a house of worship, one of which is a church.

In Malang there are many churches which are used as places of worship for Christians and Catholics. Some of them are churches with unique, legendary architecture, some have even been made into nature reserves. One of the most legendary is the Sacred Heart Church or Kayutangan Church. At the moment of Eid al-Fitr 1445 Hijriah, Kayutangan Church attracted public attention. Why not, the church is actually used as a place for Eid prayers for Muslims, who today, Wednesday (10/4/2024), celebrate Eid al-Fitr. A beautiful portrait of inter-religious tolerance radiates from Apple City, nicknamed the city of Malang.

The moment of Eid prayers in the church area went viral and there was a flood of appreciation. Netizens expressed compliments on social media. In fact, quite a few of them re-shared their own versions of videos and photos of moments of tolerance. What stands out most is the presence of Fathers, Sisters, and seminarians or prospective priests who have been lined up in front of Kayutangan Church, since morning.

They also greeted each other and wished them a Happy Eid Al-Fitr 1445 Hijriah. Greetings were delivered directly to Muslims who had just finished performing Eid prayers at the Great Jami Mosque, Malang City. This is one of the traditions of religious togetherness moments in Malang City that can be found every year. This habit exists because the Great Jami Mosque and Kayutangan Church are located close to each other.

The Kayutangan Church itself is a historic building in Malang City. This church building is included in cultural heritage among 32 other objects in the Malang area. As its nickname suggests, Kayutangan Church is located in the Kayutangan area. One of the most historic areas of Malang City.

Quoting the HKY Kayutangan page, Wednesday (10/4/2024), the construction of a place of worship which is also known as the Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish Church was initiated on June 4 1897. The oldest Neo Gothic style church in Malang is 41 meters long, 11 meters wide. 4 meters, and the height of the room is 15.2 meters.

The construction of the house of worship, which cost 30,972 guilders, involved several figures, namely Ir. Marius J. Hulsuit as designer; C. Vis, Van't Pad. Then, Bourguignon as contractor; and Moulijn as construction supervisor. 

The first stone was laid by Father G.D.A. Jonckbloet, S.J. on May 11, 1905 marked the start of construction of the church which took about seven months. Meanwhile, the placement of the church cross was carried out on December 30, 1905. 

Next, the placement of the statue of the Sacred Heart of Jesus which was imported from the Netherlands was carried out in 1906. The two towers with a height of 33 meters were designed by Ir. Albert Grunberg was created October 3, 1930, and blessed Mgr. Clemens Van der Pas on December 14, 1930. 

The church bell, which existed before the church was built, is recorded as weighing 303 kg, 78 cm in diameter with an A note. The second bell weighs 185 kg, 65 cm in diameter with an E note. 

These two bells were made by a very famous metal smelting company, namely Petit en Fritsen in Aarle-Rixtel, Netherlands. Unfortunately, a plane crashed into the left tower cross on November 27, 1967, causing the plane to crash around the Buring area.

About five years ago, the Malang City government designated the Church of the Sacred Heart of Jesus as a cultural heritage object among 32 other objects. Its existence is considered to play an important role in the development of the city of Malang. 

"This church is a witness to the existence of Catholics. Since the Dutch colonial period in Malang City," said Agung H Buana, Secretary of the Malang City Cultural Heritage Expert Team, quoted on Wednesday (10/4/2024). Even though it has Gothic architecture, the plan of the church building is box-shaped. Not a cross, like most gothic churches. Until now, Kayutangan Sacred Heart of Jesus Church still stands strong and has become one of the icons of the city of Malang. Tourists never fail to see and visit this bright church. The mayor of Malang at that time, Sutiaji, promised to provide incentives for cultural heritage buildings. This includes in the form of maintenance financing funds or relief from Land and Building Tax (PBB).

Providing incentives is intended as an effort to preserve historic buildings, because many historic buildings have been lost, demolished and changed function. "If we don't pay attention, slowly but surely this will become extinct," he said.

Credit : https://vnshortener.com/kayutangan