CHIJMES

Coordinates: 1°17′42.5″N 103°51′06.5″E / 1.295139°N 103.851806°E / 1.295139; 103.851806
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CHIJMES
Saint Nicholas Girls' School building blocks (1951)
Governing bodyNational Heritage Board
Websitechijmes.com.sg

CHIJMES (pronounced "chimes",

Convent of the Holy Infant Jesus (CHIJ). The complex is located at Victoria Street in the Downtown Core, within the Central Area
, Singapore's central business district.

The complex was used as a

performances and weddings.

History

The CHIJMES Hall, designed by Father Charles Benedict Nain as a chapel, was completed in 1904.

After Father

Brothers of the Christian Schools
.

In 1848, Father Beurel asked the

Saint Joseph's Institution at the former chapel
in May 1852.

In July 1852, he asked the Straits Settlements Government once again for land next to the church for a charitable institution for girls, he was told that there was already sufficient land given to the church. Later in August 1852, Father

Sisters of the Holy Infant Jesus for 4,000 francs, the house was since known as the Caldwell House.[1]

In October 1852, the four Sisters of the Holy Infant Jesus, Reverend Mother

On 2 February 1854, the Sisters sailed to Singapore from Penang on a mission to build a school for girls.[3][4] On 5 February 1854, they reached the island's shores and took up residence at the Caldwell House.

The nuns began taking in pupils only ten days after moving in, establishing the first CHIJ school in Singapore. Reverend Mother Mathilde staffed her school with sisters from the parent Society, the Institute of the Charitable Schools of the Holy Infant Jesus of Saint Maur. She dedicated 20 years of her life turning the convent into a school, a house at the corner of the Stamford Road and North Bridge Road was acquired in 1855 to serve as an orphanage and refuge known as Home for Abandoned Babies for local girls and women and sometimes boys. Two classes were conducted, one for fee-paying students and another for orphans and the poor. Slowly, the nuns managed to restore the house into a simple but austere residence.[2]

Battle of Singapore
).

Father Beurel had since acquired all the nine lots of land between Victoria Street and North Bridge Road, originally belonging to the Raffles Institution, that would constitute the entire convent complex. He presented them all to Reverend Mother Mathilde.

The first chapel of the Convent, which was built in 1855, was in such a bad condition that it was necessary to build a new one. At the end of the 19th century, the Sisters started

fund-raising by various means for the new chapel. The old one was becoming so dangerous that the Sisters decided to celebrate mass
in Caldwell House.

Father

Swan & Maclaren
oversaw its constructions and it was completed by 1903. Father Nain was highly involved in the worksite. He was the author of all the fine architectural details found in the chapel. The new chapel was consecrated on 11 June 1904.

Intricate floral and bird motifs on the Corinthian columns at CHIJMES Hall

Much of the knowledge about the daily activities of the convent comes from seven volumes of

papers, maintain the buildings and the grounds as well as raise money to support their activities.[2]

Saint Nicholas Girls' School was established on 16 January 1933 and held classes in the four old bungalows which once formed the Hotel van Wijk of the 1890s.

During the

Battle of Singapore
on 15 February 1942 at 3:30 pm, four bombs were dropped by the Japanese warplanes onto the complex; one bomb exploded near the main gate and damaged; the second bomb exploded near the orphanage, which destroyed it; the third bomb exploded in the field next to the chapel, scattered its stained glass windows including the two of the large panels around the chapel's high altar; a fourth bomb exploded at the school field of the Saint Nicholas Girls' School.

During the

Japanese Occupation of Singapore, about forty of the Sisters, together with the orphans and teachers were deported to a camp in Bahau, Negeri Sembilan, Malaya (present day Malaysia), where many of them would die from the harsh conditions there. Two months later after the Occupation began, the school reopened under Japanese authority as the Victoria Street Girls' School. The remaining Sisters at the Town Convent had to wear armbands to show they were not British people, and had to learn Japanese in order to teach Japanese curriculum to their students.[5]
Students there were made to learn Japanese songs and watch Japanese films as part of the curriculum.

Following the surrender of the Japanese in 1945, the school resumed under its former name. Later in 1949, one of the bungalows' room had suddenly collapsed. The bungalows were subsequently deemed unsafe and demolished in 1950. The new three storey building blocks designed by Swan & Maclaren was later built on the former site and completed by 1951.[6] In 1964, the school was separated into primary and secondary sections.[7]

In 1983, the

SMRT Headquarters Building
which was later built on its former site.

The former Convent of the Holy Infant Jesus Chapel under conservation and reconstruction in 1994.

The

national monuments
on 26 October 1990.

The complex underwent extensive restoration works in 1991, careful

S$
100 million project unmatched for its location and unique ambiance.

The CHIJMES won a Merit Award in the UNESCO Asia Pacific Heritage Awards for Cultural Heritage Conservation in 2002.[8]

Architecture

A few of the 648 capitals on the columns of the chapel and a spiral staircase along a corridor

The Convent of the Holy Infant Jesus is distinctive for being an architecturally self-contained city block in Singapore. It contains groups of buildings of different styles and periods to maintain a diversity in aesthetics. They are formed around courtyards and other expansive spaces, landscaped and enclosed with walls which scale with its urban surroundings.

The various buildings are related by design with the intent to form exterior spaces which would be pleasing for its users, and were used for church school activities until November 1983 when the school vacated the premises. The spaces contained within the whole block have been adapted for public use, and form one of the major buildings in the Central Area.

Caldwell House

Caldwell House at CHIJMES

Caldwell House was purchased for the convent by Father

enclave, which also includes the Gothic chapel and Saint Nicholas Girls' School buildings. The bay on the upper floor became the sisters' lounge. It was in the Caldwell House that the nuns did their sewing, reading and writing for so many years in the semicircular upstairs room whilst the first storey served as a parlour and visitors' room. Caldwell House was designed by George Drumgoole Coleman, and is an example of his Neoclassical
style.

CHIJMES Hall

The interior of CHIJMES Hall, showing the arched ceiling and stained glass windows

The early

Convent of the Holy Infant Jesus Chapel has finely detailed works, such as the plasterwork, the wall frescoes and stained glass
panels.

The grand

places of worship ever built in Singapore. The chapel's stained-glass windows were designed by Jules Dobbelaere and were imported from Bruges, Belgium
.

A five-storey spire flanked by flying buttresses marks the entrance to the chapel. The 648 capitals on the columns of the chapel and its corridors each bear a unique impression of tropical flora and birds.

Physical alterations within CHIJMES

Apart from having part of its compound taken by MRTC headquarters, the remaining site went through several modifications in order to increase its commercial viability.

In 2013, CHIJMES was given a $45-million uplift. Some of these physical changes include the 1) lowering of cloister walls along Victoria street, 2) 4 new entrances, 3) Access to chapel and Caldwell house 4) removal of cobblestone floor and lifting of roof, 5) covering of sunken courtyards.

Lowering of cloister walls along Victoria Street

  • The upper section of the cloister walls is replaced by metal grilles to allow Chijmes to be visible from the street.

New entrances

  • Apart from the main entrance on Victoria Street, three entrances will be added to the complex - along Bras Basah Road, North Bridge Road and the last one at the junction of both roads. These entrances act as "Historical Portals" with narratives on the walls telling the Chijmes heritage.

Access to the chapel and Caldwell House

  • The front of the chapel is now replaced by glass doors and walls and is open to visitors to tour its interior.

Change of cobblestone floor and elevating the roof

  • The old cobblestone flooring in Chijmes’ driveway, forecourt and Caldwell House have been replaced with large black granite pavers to make it more pedestrian-friendly.
  • The roofs of the old walkways are elevated and replaced with glazed panels, to allow for increased light penetration.

Sunken courtyards sheltered

  • Previously, there was a big, open space below ground behind the chapel, which housed an open-air area and outdoor seating. Now, the area is being covered with a glass ceiling that will protect the patrons from the elements.

Gallery

In popular culture

The wedding scene in Crazy Rich Asians took place at CHIJMES Hall.[9][10]

External links

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References

  1. ^ "Father Jean-Marie Beurel | Infopedia". Archived from the original on 3 August 2020. Retrieved 9 February 2018.
  2. ^ .
  3. ^ "CHIJ Sisters". Archived from the original on 4 February 2012. Retrieved 24 February 2012.
  4. ^ "Life of Reverend Mother St. Mathilde" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 9 July 2021.
  5. ^ hermes (23 February 2017). "'Peace still reigns' at site of oldest Catholic girls' school". The Straits Times. Archived from the original on 22 November 2018. Retrieved 22 November 2018.
  6. ^ "Hotel van Wijk". Singapore Infopedia. National Library Board, Singapore. Archived from the original on 11 April 2018. Retrieved 5 April 2018.
  7. ^ "CHIJ History". www.chijsec.edu.sg. Archived from the original on 12 June 2018. Retrieved 22 November 2018.
  8. ^ "Award Winners Archived 16 July 2014 at the Wayback Machine", UNESCO Bangkok.
  9. ^ "Go Inside the Crazy Rich Asians Wedding". brides. Archived from the original on 6 April 2021. Retrieved 18 August 2018.
  10. ^ Booth, Jessica. "These Are The Places From 'Crazy Rich Asians' You Can Actually Visit In Real Life". Bustle. Archived from the original on 18 August 2018. Retrieved 18 August 2018.
Bibliography