St. Joseph's Church, Ayutthaya
St. Joseph's Church is a Catholic church in Ayutthaya, built during the reign of King Narai in 1666 at the request of the Vietnamese missionaries headed by Bishop Lambert de la Motte.
The original wooden church was rebuilt in bricks and mortar in the European style between 1685 and 1695. During the second Burmese attack on Ayutthaya the Siamese used the church as a shelter, which led to its destruction on 23 March 1767.
In 1831 Father Pallegoix began restoration on the church, which was completed in 1847. More additions in the Romanesque style were made during the tenure of Father Perros during the reign of King Rama V.
Not remarkable as a church (although it does have some nice stained glass windows), the chief interest of St. Joseph's Church is for its religious history. The church has been a place of continuous Catholic worship in Thailand for over 300 years.
More Information
- Historic City of Ayuttaya - UNESCO World Heritage
- Ayuttaya Tourism - TripAdvisor
- Tri Amatayakul, The official guide to Ayutthaya and Bang Pa-in
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- Derick Garnier, Ayutthaya.
