ARMENIAN CHURCH
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Built in 1835 by architect George Coleman, the Armenian Apostolic Church of St. Gregory the Illuminator is the oldest existing Christian church in Singapore. It is one of only two Armenian churches still standing in Southeast Asia. The second is the Armenian Apostolic Church of St. John the Baptist in Rangoon, Burma. St. Gregory the Illuminator was built at the instigation and expense of the ten Armenian families who lived in Singapore in the 1830s. The cost of the church was a significant expense for the small Armenian community. Armenians from India and Java also contributed to its construction. Looking at the church from the outside, there is little evidence of its Armenian origins. The original dome has been replaced and porticos added on three sides. But the interior decoration shows many of the distinctive features of traditional Armenian churches. The church is surrounded by a very pleasant garden which houses a former presbytery and cemetery. A wealthy American of Armenian descent had all the Armenian graves of Bukit Timah transferred to the church grounds. Among others, the graves of the Sarkies brothers, who built the Raffles Hotel, and the grave of Agnes Joaquim, the originator of the hybrid orchid that has become the national flower of Singapore, are located here. This church is a testimony to the past influence of the Armenian community in Singapore, whose members were bankers, lawyers and merchants.
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