Everybody associates Bangkok with its magnificent Buddhist temples, but along the Chao Phraya River in the heart of Bangkok are a series of beautiful Catholic churches.
Most of them going back hundreds of years when European countries were first making contact with Thailand, or the Kingdom of Siam as it was called then.
Portugal was the first European nation to make contact with the Kingdom, in 1511 in what was then the capital city: Ayutthaya. Portuguese became dominant foreign traders, and established a presence there.
Until today the community around the church is proud of their heritage and besides the church there is a Catholic school, a museum dedicated to their history and there is even a Portuguese delicacy that is still baked in the traditional way at several bakeries in the area!
The so called "farang kudeejeen" is a sweet dessert from an old Portuguese recipe passed down from generation to generation and still made till this day by Thai bakeries who mix the flours, duck eggs, sugar, raisins and other preserved fruits into the dough which -after rising- is then baked above a traditional charcoal fire.
This is done everyday in the little local houses all around the Santa Cruz church.
If you want to see, smell and taste these delicious pastries as well as be amazed by what else this city has to offer in hidden treasures and unforgettable experiences, please join us on one of our tours and See the Real Bangkok with Co van Kessel Bangkok Tours!
When the Burmese invasion and siege of the city forced the surrender of Ayudhya in 1767, the capital was moved to Thonburi -now the eastern part of Bangkok- under King Taksin the Great. He donated a plot of land on the banks of the Chaophya river to a French missionary and allowed him to build a church: the Santa Cruz (or Holy Cross) church. Since most of the Catholic believers in the country were Portuguese it became a centre for Portuguese settlers and their families.
In 1833 fire swept through the Portuguese village and destroyed the church. A second church was built with strong Chinese architectural influences as was popular at that time. It is from this church that the surrounding community became known as “Kudi Jeen” or “Chinese priest house”.
By 1913 the 80 year old church was dilapidated and the resident priest Father Gulielmo Kinh Da Cruz made the decision to build a new church. Construction of the church began that year, built in European Renaissance Revival style, again reflecting architectural fashions of the time. The new Santa Cruz church was completed in 1916 and consecrated on September 17th of that year.