Having been colonised by a number of nations, Malaysia has a rich and varied history, and this is especially evident in the architecture of surviving pre-war buildings around the country.

These buildings include the churches – many of them intricate, grandiose, and full of character – that were established by missionaries who arrived here in the 18th and 19th centuries. Here’s a look at some of Malaysia’s longest surviving and still functioning churches:

1. St. Peter’s Church, Melaka – 1710

The oldest functioning Catholic church in Malaysia, one of the bells was salvaged from an old church that was burnt down by the Dutch in Goa, India.

2. Christ Church, Melaka – 1741

Originally painted white, this church is the oldest Protestant church still in use and comes under the jurisdiction of the Lower Central Archdeaconry of the Anglican Diocese of West Malaysia. The Christ Church and the neighbouring Stadthuys building were painted red almost two centuries later, in 1911.

3. St. George’s Anglican Church, Penang – 1818

The church comes within the Upper North Archedeaconry of the Anglican Diocese of West Malaysia and was declared one of Malaysia’s National Treasures in 2007. The church was built with brick on a solid plastered stone base, the labour carried out entirely by convicts.

4. St. Francis Xavier’s Church, Melaka – 1856

Built on the site of an old Portuguese church in 1956, the design was thought to be inspired by the Cathedral of St. Peter in Southern France.

5. Church of the Assumption, Penang – 1861

The layout of the church as seen from above looks like a crucifix. It consists of two bell towers and a large altar as well as pipe organs which were installed in 1916.

6. All Saints’ Church, Perak – 1887

The stained glass window that was installed in 1911 is still intact, having survived World War II. The cemetery in the grounds is filled with intricate tombstones of European settlers and servicemen who could not make it back to their homeland – the church is setting up a network to locate the relatives of those buried there.

7. St. Anne’s Church, Penang – 1888

Every year, the celebration of the Feast of St. Anne attracts over 100,000 pilgrims from within Malaysia and around the region to Bukit Mertajam in Penang. The original church building was converted into the Shrine of St. Anne while a new church was built for regular worshipping.

8. St. Michael and All Angels’ Church, Sabah – 1893

This is the oldest stone church in Sabah and it took more than 30 years to complete – the delay was such that, then the main body of the church was blessed, the main entrance hadn’t been completed. The main entrance was ultimately blessed two years later, in 1925 – 32 years after construction began.

9. St. Mary’s Cathedral, KL – 1895

The original cathedral building was located atop Bukit Aman, the current location of the Royal Malaysian Police, but in 1893, a new location was chosen, to build a bigger church for the growing congregation. The pipe organ installed in the church was made by Henry Willis, the English organ maker who also crafted the organ for St. Paul’s Cathedral in London.

10. St. Michael’s Church, Perak – 1895

Built by a Chinese contractor named Leong Ah Choong, the Gothic-style church took two years to complete. The Chinese characters above the front arch translate to “God is the source of all truth”.

11. Church of The Visitation, Negeri Sembilan – 1899

The story goes that French missionaries in the mid-1800s would travel from KL to Melaka once every two months to receive confessions. On that journey, the missionaries would take a break in Seremban. Eventually, they set up the church and named it Church of the Visitation.

12. St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church, KL – 1902

The church was originally built to serve the needs of British colonial officers based in Kuala Kumpur.
Surviving the Great Flood in 1926 and World War II, many expat families in the area now frequent this church.

13. Holy Rosary Church, KL – 1903

The Gothic-inspired church was constructed by French missionaries including Father Francis Emile Terrien, who was in charge of the Chinese community in KL, and his assistant, Father Lambert.

14. Church of St. John The Divine, Ipoh – 1912

Before the church was built, Anglicans in the area held their monthly service in an old wooden court house. During WW2, the Japanese turned the church into a noodle factory, and pews were used as firewood. Only a few of the original pews still survive.

15. Zion Cathedral, KL – 1924

Built by the local Tamil Lutherans who came from Tamil Nadu, India in the 1800s, this is the main modern-day church of the Evangelical Lutherans in Malaysia.

16. Our Lady of Lourdes Church, Selangor – 1928

Before Father Souhait became the leader of catholic community in Klang, he was a student of architecture. So when it was time to build a church, he was very involved in the design process, modelling the church in Jalan Tengku Kelana on the pilgrimage church in Lourdes, France – the third most important catholic pilgrimage site in the world, behind only Rome and The Holy Land.

17. St. John’s Cathedral, KL – 1955

Probably Malaysia’s most well-known Catholic seat, the current cathedral building has stained glass windows from France depicting stories from the bible. The original church was built where the Community Service Centre now stands. In 1883, the original church was basically a long wooden hall and some windows. St. John’s Cathedral is now the seat of the Archbishop of Kuala Lumpur.