The Assumption Cathedral () is the principal

Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

church of

Thailand Thailand, officially the Kingdom of Thailand and historically known as Siam (the official name until 1939), is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. With a population of almost 66 million, it spa ...

, located at 23 Oriental Avenue, New Road, in the Bang Rak District of

Bangkok Bangkok, officially known in Thai language, Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon and colloquially as Krung Thep, is the capital and most populous city of Thailand. The city occupies in the Chao Phraya River delta in central Thailand and has an estim ...

. It is the main church of the Archdiocese of Bangkok. The cathedral hosted both of the papal visits to Thailand:

Pope John Paul II Pope John Paul II (born Karol Józef Wojtyła; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 16 October 1978 until Death and funeral of Pope John Paul II, his death in 2005. In his you ...

in 1984 and

Pope Francis Pope Francis (born Jorge Mario Bergoglio; 17 December 1936 – 21 April 2025) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 13 March 2013 until Death and funeral of Pope Francis, his death in 2025. He was the fi ...

in 2019.

History

The Assumption Cathedral is located within 100 meters of the Oriental Hotel and the French Embassy, and the original building was the result of the request from a French missionary, Father Pascal in 1809 and the work of a French architect which saw the cathedral completed in 1821 during the reign of King

Rama II Phutthaloetla Naphalai (born Chim; 24 February 1767 or 1768 – 21 July 1824), also known by his regnal name Rama II, was the second King of Siam from the Chakri dynasty, ruling from 1809 to 1824. In 1809, Itsarasunthon succeeded his father R ...

. The cathedral was named Assumption after the

Virgin Mary Mary was a first-century Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Saint Joseph, Joseph and the mother of Jesus. She is an important figure of Christianity, venerated under titles of Mary, mother of Jesus, various titles such as Perpetual virginity ...

and she is commemorated at the church during The Feast of the Assumption, on St. Mary's Day on 15 August. Throughout the latter half of the 19th century, the church and surrounding area played an important role for Christian missionaries arriving in Bangkok, particularly after 1860. The cathedral is part of a series of buildings which consist of Assumption Convent School (Thailand), Catholic Mission of Bangkok, Assumption Printing Press and rectory which were inhabited by the missionaries during their time in the city. However around 1909 or 1910 the church underwent significant reconstruction and was rebuilt in the

romanesque style Romanesque architecture is an architectural style of medieval Europe that was predominant in the 11th and 12th centuries. The style eventually developed into the Gothic style with the shape of the arches providing a simple distinction: the Ro ...

between 1910 and 1918. The church has a relatively tall rectangular structure with a red brick exterior which stands out against its surrounding white buildings. The tall square towers flank the main entrance. Inside is a high ceiling adorned with many ornate decorations. Construction costs were largely covered by a local catholic businessman, Mr Low Khiok Chiang (also known as Jacobe) who owned the nearby Kiam Hoa Heng & Company, a Chinese Teochew family business. In 1942, during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, nearby buildings were destroyed by allied bombing which resulted in serious damage to the church. It underwent extensive restoration shortly afterwards, and was partly refurbished in the 1980s and 1990s.

Stained glass Stained glass refers to coloured glass as a material or art and architectural works created from it. Although it is traditionally made in flat panels and used as windows, the creations of modern stained glass artists also include three-dimensio ...

windows are now used in the cathedral today. The Assumption Cathedral had been visited by two supreme pontiffs. First, in May 1984 the cathedral welcomed Pope

John Paul II Pope John Paul II (born Karol Józef Wojtyła; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 16 October 1978 until Death and funeral of Pope John Paul II, his death in 2005. In his you ...

and on the 22nd of November 2019,

visited the cathedral during his apostolic visit to Thailand where he conduct the holy mass with catholic youth from around the country, given that the church is the center of the Catholic diocese there. The church is open only on Saturday and Sunday. Services for mass on Sundays are held at 8:30am, 10am (English mass) and 5pm, with Novena followed by Saturday anticipated mass at 4:30pm every Saturday. For weekday, including Saturday, the mass is celebrated at 6am in the chapel located on the south side of the cathedral, in the area of Assumptionsuksa School.

Crypt

The significant part of the cathedral is in the crypt underneath the Sanctuary, which kept the remains of the bishops and the missionaries, including that of Fr Nicholas Boonkerd Kitbamrung, who was proclaimed a martyr by Pope John Paul II on 5 March 2000 in the Vatican. His relics were transferred to the shrine built in the compound of St. Peter's church in Sampran, Nakornprathom Province. There still remains a special altar devoted to him on the left side of the cathedral. Besides being a place of worship and for performing sacred ceremonies, the role of the Assumption Cathedral is the church of the head of the local diocese, which was led by Cardinal Michael Meechai Kitboonchu. The cathedral is used to celebrate functions such as ordination of deacons, priests and bishops, and is said to be the centre of Catholics in Thailand.

Notable visitors

Visitors include, on 4 May 1946, King

Ananda Mahidol Ananda Mahidol (20 September 19259 June 1946) was the eighth Monarchy of Thailand, king of Siam (later Thailand) from the Chakri dynasty, titled Rama VIII. At the time he was recognised as king by the National Assembly of Thailand, National ...

with his younger brother, then-Prince

Bhumibol Adulyadej Bhumibol Adulyadej (5 December 192713 October 2016), titled Rama IX, was King of Thailand from 1946 until Death and funeral of Bhumibol Adulyadej, his death in 2016. His reign of 70 years and 126 days is the longest of any List of Thai mo ...

. Pope John Paul II visited on 10 May 1984. On 22 July 1995, Princesses

Soamsawali Princess Soamsawali, the Princess Suddhanarinatha (, , ), born ''Mom Luang'' Soamsawali Kitiyakara (; ; on 13 July 1957), is a member of the Thai royal family, and is the former wife of her first cousin King Vajiralongkorn. She was titled "the ...

and Bajirakitiyabha visited the cathedral during a religious ceremony for the soul of the late king's mother. In 2002 the crown prince

Vajiralongkorn Vajiralongkorn (born 28 July 1952) is King of Thailand. He is the tenth Thai monarch of the Chakri dynasty since ascending the throne in 2016 with the regnal name Rama X. The only son of King Bhumibol Adulyadej (Rama IX) and Queen Sirik ...

and his consort Srirasmi visited the Catholic community at the Assumption Cathedral. The cathedral hosted both of the papal visits to Thailand:

in 1984 and

in 2019.

Nearby sites

The eastern facade of the cathedral, taken from the neighbouring Assumption College Three schools are situated in the compound of the cathedral: Assumption College, Assumption Convent School and Assumption Suksa School. There used to be a seminary and a printing house. Many offices of the Catholic organizations used to be nearby the cathedral.

Events

A ceremony held in the cathedral was that of the proclamation of Blessed Father Nicholas Boonkerd as Priest and Martyr.

References

External links

*
Map to Assumption Cathedral

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Assumption Cathedral, Bangkok Catholic Church in Thailand Roman Catholic cathedrals in Thailand Roman Catholic churches in Bangkok Romanesque Revival church buildings Tourist attractions in Bangkok Roman Catholic churches completed in 1821 Bang Rak district Unregistered ancient monuments in Bangkok 19th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in Thailand