On the East side of the North transept is the Garden of Calvary. In the corner is an image of Christ on the Cross. The subtitle of this garden is “JESUS’ SUFFERING AND DEATH”. The sign quotes Luke 23:34 which says: “Jesus said, 'Father forgive them for they know not what they are doing.‘” There is then a challenge for us to forgive those who do hurtful things against us. PLAN
22. GARDEN OF CALVARY (EAST)
This long strip garden to the East of the Cathedral is also entitled ‘The Garden of Calvary’, and has a replica sign. It is a pleasant landscaped area, but I could find no particular religious significance in the garden itself.
23. ENTERING THE CATHEDRAL
We enter the Cathedral and stand at the back of the nave. This is a large open space, light and bright, with big windows and doorways to allow ample air circulation. The windows look interesting with rounded tops containing stained glass. The stained pews stand on a black and white check floor.
24. NAVE CEILING
The timber ceiling is in a concave form and is made up of three rows of six rectangular panels. All eighteen panels are rather simply ornamented, with a simple rectangular border and a ceiling rose at their centres. The ceiling roses in the centre row are larger and more elaborate than those in the side rows. From the centre of each circle hangs a lamp.
25. WINDOWS
The eight large windows of the nave together with the other six of the transepts and two of the sacristy are arched. The transepts originally had eight large windows until the walling up of the two fronting Victoria Street. The original timber louvred casements of the windows were replaced by glass shutters with green glass in 1937. The stained glass windows in the lunettes of the nave and transept windows were presented to the cathedral by Bishop Charles Arsène Bourdon.
26. WEST GALLERY AND ORGAN
The gallery, which is closed to public access, houses the Gallery Organ, a statue of Saint Cecilia and a trumpeting angel. Originally made by British firm Bevington and Sons in 1912, the the five-tonne, 1,800-pipe organ’s condition had deteriorated by the 1980s. Mr Robert Navaratnam made repairs and expanded its range, adding old pipes he salvaged from elsewhere in Singapore and abroad. His efforts transformed it into an instrument with a ‘very fine sound’ in the reverberant acoustics of the Cathedral.
27. WEST DOOR AND TILE
The central West door has a statue on either side, and a large floor tile. The tile reads: ‘I am the Good Shepherd. The Good Shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. John 10:11’. If we look at the pedestals of the two statues, we see that the statue at left is St Francis Xavier, and the statue at right is St Anthony carrying the Christ child.
28. TWO SAINTS
These two saints are held in high regard by the Catholic community. Saint Francis Xavier was born in 1506, in Navarre (part of present-day Spain). With encouragement from his friend Ignatius of Loyola, Xavier devoted himself to religious service and became one of the founders of the Jesuit order. Saint Anthony of Padua was a Portuguese Catholic priest and friar of the Franciscan Order. He was born and raised by a wealthy family in Lisbon, Portugal, and died in Padua, Italy.
29. PIETÀ
In the Northwest corner of the Cathedral is a copy of Michaelangelo’s Pietà. The name means ‘Pity’ and the statue depicts the Virgin Mary cradling the dead body of Jesus.
30. PLAQUE AND TILE
In the Southwest corner of the nave are a couple of confessionals and this plaque about the Cathedral The plaque gives a brief summary of the Cathedral’s history, and was dedicated by the Most Reverend William Goh, Archbishop of Singapore, on 14 February 2017. To the right we see the well-known Chi-Rho symbol standing for Christ, placed in the floor at the centre of the nave.
31. STATIONS OF THE CROSS
The fourteen Stations of the Cross are arrayed around the walls of the nave. These outline stages of the journey Jesus made to the Cross, and are used, particularly at Easter time, as an aid to devotion. These Stations are oil paintings set in dark and rather old-fashioned frames – perhaps unexpected in such a modern cathedral? Below the Stations are small consecration crosses, marking the places where the Cathedral was initially blessed.
32. NAVE WALLS AND DIOCESAN COAT OF ARMS
If we look closely at the nave walls we see various plaques placed below the Stations. We shall look at these next. The coat of arms can be found on the nave side glass doors. Briefly: the lion –> Singapore; the azure star –> the Blessed Virgin Mary; the fleur-de-lis –> the founding of the Catholic Church in Singapore by French missionaries; the ship –> mission; the colours red above white –> the Singapore flag; the mitre, crozier and cross indicate the arms of the diocese.
33. NORTH NAVE PLAQUES
These three memorials are found on the North wall of the nave. From left to right we have: • Baby John Wooden who died in 1849 aged 15 months; • Charles Peter Richards who was warden of the Cathedral for 25 years; • Rt Rev Gregory Yong Sooi Nghean DD DCL who died in 2008 and whose remains are interred at the Cathedral. He became Archbishop of Singapore in 1977.
34. SOUTH NAVE PLAQUES
On this side we have two plaques and an interesting historical feature. From left: • Rt Rev Michael Olçomendy MEP who died in 1977 and whose remains are interred here at the Cathedral. He became Archbishop in 1955. • James Isaiah Woodford who died in 1876 and was connected with the Church for 30 years. • Two cut-outs showing the brickwork of the nave wall in 1847 and 1888.
35. ORGAN CONSOLE
The gallery organ is also playable from this remote console located in the South transept, where the choir is normally seated.
36. NORTH TRANSEPT
We look back across the nave to the North transept. In the floor in the foreground is a memorial stone. The door to the transept has a plaque on either side, and an interesting looking window above the doors. And to the right behind the cathedra, a statue stands in the wall niche.
37. MEMORIAL STONE
This stone at the end of the nave aisle is in memory of the Rt Rev Edouard Casnier who died in 1896 and is interred in this Cathedral. Born in 1833, he became Bishop of Eucarpia in 1873, and was appointed to the See of Malacca in 1888. He was a much loved pastor to his flock.
38. WEST WALL OF THE NORTH TRANSEPT
We see here some details of the North transept, previously hidden behind a column. At centre is a memorial tablet to Daniel Cunningham of Londonderry who died in 1852. He was a generous contributor to this Church. The plaque at right remembers Miss Marie-Jeanne Solesse (nee Bourbon) who died in 1845.
39. NORTH TRANSEPT DOOR
We approach the North transept door, noticing the memorial on either side, and the stained glass window above.
40. MEMORIALS AND WINDOW
The memorial at left is to John Connolly from Ireland who died in Singapore in 1848. He laid the Church cornerstone in 1843. At right is a niche containing the relics of Saint Laurent Imbert (1796 – 1839). He was a bishop who was martyred in Korea. The beautiful stained-glass window over the door hints to the transept’s previous designation as the Chapel of the Blessed Virgin Mary.