Staying afloat: Padang’s oldest mosque Mesjid Gantiang, which was built in 1815, survives the earthquake, but scars remain. — JP/Syofiardi Bachyul Jb
“This building means so much to me, because I was baptized there at the age of one in 1967,” Alfian Fernandus told The Jakarta Post at the front of the Convent Chapel of SCMM in Jl. Gereja, which was heavily damaged by a 7.9-magnitude earthquake.
The graduate of the school of architecture at the University of Parahyangan in Bandung immediately went to Padang to help save the ruins of the old buildings.
On the third day after the earthquake, Alfian Fernandus was coordinating the clearing of the building debris.
The Convent Chapel, one of the grandest old buildings in the city of Padang, didn’t survive the earthquake.
The rear of the building was completely destroyed, while the front section suffered heavy damage and old roof tiles engraved with the manufacturer’s name Stoom Pannen Fabriek van Echt scattered around the building.
“I felt this building was so grand. It was the oldest chapel building in Indonesia and unfortunately collapsed. But we will still celebrate its 125th birthday in February next year,” said Sister Leonarda SCMM sadly.
The Convent Chapel of St. Leo, the first Dutch chapel in Sumatra before the Sibolga Chapel, and once a special place of worship for sisters and nuns, became a popular location for many Catholic couples, who used it as background for pre-wedding photos because of its beauty.
Almost all materials and equipment used to build the chapel came from the time when it was established. The mosaic glass in the window, beneath the carved wooden ceiling, as well as the tiles, all came from the 19th century. Only the Tabernacle iron box to store the host (bread) and wine were still intact after the quake.
Testing times: The old Chapel of the Convent took a blow during the earthquake but still stands despite missing a third of its roof. — JP/Syofiardi Bachyul Jb
Chapels were not the only Catholic places of worship to succumb to the earthquake. The Cathedral Church and the old church building (now Wisma Sukma Indah), which was located in front of the Convent Church, were also affected. The two buildings can no longer be used and daily services usually held there have been moved to another building.
Padang Buddhists are also mourning the destruction of the See Hin Kiong Temple in Jalan Kalenteng, Pondok Area, caused by the Sept. 30 earthquake.
“This has been the most destructive earthquake for this temple since it was established in 1861. Earlier earthquakes never damaged it,” said Indra, one of the administrators of the temple.
Buddhists had used the See Hin Kiong Temple as a place of worship for the past 148 years, especially ethnic Chinese residents of West Sumatra. But the Sept. 30 earthquake has put an end to any sort of worship there.
“We don’t know what will happen to this temple, whether it will become a museum or be restored. If it’s going to become a museum, then it can be used to preserve the memories of this dreadful earthquake,” said Indra.
The main temple building is still standing, but the left and right side of the roof collapsed. Statues of gods were reduced to dust and wall paintings damaged by the fall of plaster, especially the painting depicting the god of goodness. As a result, more than 3,000 Padang Buddhists have lost their historic places of worship.
Two historical mosques in Padang city, including the Gantiang Mosque — the first and oldest mosque in the city established with the help of the Dutch East Indies government in 1815 — and the Muhammadan Mosque in the Kampung Keling area, near Batang Arau, were also hit by the earthquake.
The latter mosque was mostly used by the Keling people from India, who have lived in the area since the 19th century, as shown by the colonial Indian style architecture of the building. Although this mosque can still be used, cracks caused by the earthquake are now crisscrossing the walls and floor.
The Sept. 30 earthquake did not choose to strike any particular place of worship in the city of Padang. All religions felt its horrifying impact.
— JP/Syofiardi Bachyul Jb
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