Cathedral of Virgin St Mary

The Cathedral of Virgin St. Mary or simply St. Mary’s Cathedral in Kuala Lumpur was consecrated in February 1895. This is the cathedral of the Diocese of West

Malaysia of Anglican Church of the Province of South East Asia situated in the Malaysian city of Kuala Lumpur. Cathedral of Virgin St Mary is the Episcopal See of West Malaysia’s Anglican Bishop and is the mother church of the Diocese.

This ancient Anglo-Gothic styled church has been designed by A C Norman. It received its status of cathedral of September 8, 1983. Cathedral of Virgin St Mary is one of the popular tourist attractions in Malaysia. It is situated in close proximity to other interesting historical sites and buildings. On February 13, 1887, the original St. Mary’s Church received its consecration by Right Reverend George Frederick Hose who was the then Bishop of Labuan, Singapore and Sarawak.

The church’s original structure was constructed from wood and was perched on top of a hill along Bluff Road. This place is now known as Kuala Lumpur’s Bukit Aman region where the Royal Malaysian Police has its headquarters. Cathedral of Virgin St Mary, Kuala Lumpur, served as a seat for worship and spiritual life for the group of Anglicans in and around Kuala Lumpur at that time. The notable parishioners of Cathedral of Virgin St Mary during that period include: F.A. Swettenham, W.H. Treacher and the British residents of Selangor.

The beautiful architecture of St. Mary’s Cathedral was created by the then government architect, A.C. Norman. For the architecture of the church, a competition was held

by the church management group while rebuilding it. But none of the designs were good enough and ultimately Norman proposed an architectural design based on Early English Gothic style that was later implemented.

This magnificent century-old building, shaped like a cruciform, has the capacity of accommodating up to 200 worshippers. There is an organ chamber, vestry, nave, chancel and an octagonal end. The nave has an open timbered roof along with a chancel that is paved with mosaic tiles and well-lit by three stained-glass windows. The church also has a hall known as the Jubilee Hall. This hall was made in the year 1958 at the back of the main sanctuary to accommodate more people at a time.

If you are interested to visit this church then Bukit Aman is easily accessible by taxi, bus or LRT. It takes only 5 minute hiking from Central Market.

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