If you’re walking around Singapore’s Civic and Cultural District, you can’t miss Chijmes. Prounounced as “chimes”, it is a beautiful neo-Gothic complex with restaurants and retail spaces. It was also once a convent, orphanage, and a Catholic girls’ school. Chijmes has a long history and has been part of Singapore’s growth from a British Straits Settlement to an independent nation. The Chapel with its beautiful stained glass windows still stands.
Guide tours can be arranged in advance to learn more about its history and architecture.
Chijmes
The Chijmes complex is located at 30 Victoria Street. It is just across North Bridge Road from Raffles City, where I used to work in a private equity firm. You can easily reach Chijmes by train – City Hall, Bras Basah, and Esplanade being the closest stations, each less than a five-minute walk.
The complex is a conservation area that underwent several years of restoration work and reopened in 1996. It spans a city block and consists of several buildings – Caldwell House, Chijmes Hall, what was St Nicholas’ Girls School, and others that were part of the CHIJ premises. When you enter from Victoria Street, you will see Caldwell House on the left and Chijmes Hall, which was the chapel of CHIJ, on the right.
Sometimes after work or if I’m in the area, I like to walk through Chijmes, browsing the shops. When friends and family visit me, we may head to Chijmes for a meal and to enjoy the lively energy.
Chijmes Hall
The chapel with its impressive arched ceiling was built in 1904. The building is a beautiful and well-preserved example of Gothic Revival architecture. The interior is breathtaking, brightly lit with natural light. 30,000 pieces of Belgian stained glass adorn the chapel. The 648 capitals, the topmost part of the column, have birds and tropical flora motifs.
A refuge during the second world war, it continued its role for the vulnerable until closing in the 1983. The government acquired it and so was deconsecrated for its non-religious use. On November 3 that year, the chapel held its final mass.
Caldwell House
The Caldwell House, built between 1840–1841, was the convent headmistress’ residence. Along with the original CHIJ Hall, the Caldwell House became a national monument in 1990. Today, Caldwell House is a venue for dining and events such as weddings.
Brief History of Chijmes
The Convent of the Holy Infant Jesus (CHIJ) was founded in 1854 in Singapore, when it was a settlement. It was called “Town Convent”.
Mother Mathilde Raclot (1814-1911) answered the call to sail from France to Penang, Malaya in 1853. She led four sisters, travelling through the Mediterranean, Red Sea, and Indian Ocean, and by land from Cairo to Suez to reach their first destination.
The Mother, along with Sisters Appolinaire, St Gregory, and St Gaeta Gervais set up their first school in Penang before leaving for Singapore in 1854. The Sisters set up a school (free and fee-paying), orphanage, and a boarding school. Through the years, from 1854 to 1964, CHIJ set up eleven schools. Here’s more information on the history of CHIJ schools in Singapore. The school crest worn by students of CHIJ schools worldwide include the motto – “Simple in Virtue, Steadfast in Duty”
The Sisters went to Singapore because of their trust in God and belief in the transformative power of women’s education. This was a time when this thinking was not the social norm. Their story is one of bravery, inspirational resolve, kindness, and love. Mother Mathilde continued her work, taking her mission to Tokyo and Yokohama, Japan. Her grave is in Yokohama.
As we are Infant Jesus Sisters, our cross has the symbolic shape of a star: it evokes the star of Bethlehem leading to Jesus, our God made man and even a little child. This cross is not a crucifix: it expresses our faith in the risen Christ, present and alive today by his Spirit in our humanity.
We can also see arms wide open in welcome, or the evocation of the crib. A rich symbol that speaks louder than any explanation.
About the Holy Infant Jesus Order
This order was founded by Nicholas Barré (1621-1686). Born in France, he was educated by the Jesuits and became an ordained priest, preacher, and confessor. In 1662, the seed of schools began with him teaching several women who then taught in areas around Rouen, where he saw the endless cycles of poverty. He was moved by his love for God and desire to help people and saw the answer in education.
The Institute of the Holy Child Jesus’ Charitable Schools was born in 1666, when, at his invitation, these women came to live together in community without taking vows. As this work continued, Nicholas was invited to Paris to do the same, eventually leading to formal training of the Sisters.
Nicolas Barré tirelessly sought to lead both the people he directed and the charitable teachers to the prayer of the heart, inspired by contemplation of the inexpressible mystery of God who out of love became a human being and even a little child. Nicolas Barré, the spiritual master, was both an apostle and a mystic.
Pope John Paul II, at Nicolas Barré’s beautification in 1999 [reference]
More about the Infant Jesus Order and in Infant Jesus Sisters in Singapore
Gate of Hope
During my docent training for Singapore Art Museum, I met both local and expat women. It was an amazing and memorable experience. One of the stories I remember hearing about Chijmes was how people would leave their infant baby girls and children at the convent’s door. The nuns took them in and cared for them. Unwanted kids and kids who couldn’t be cared for because of poverty and other reasons, including being of mixed heritage. The Sisters took care of these children, gave them names, and educated them. This was the Convent’s orphanage, Home for Abandoned Babies, which closed when CHIJ moved in 1983.
The small gate, near the intersection of Victoria Street and Bras Basah Road, was named Gate of Hope in 1996.
So the next time you visiting Singapore, drop by for a bite, book a tour, or just stop to take a peek inside the chapel. This is an important part of Singapore heritage and a reminder of the unseen force that guides strangers together.