CHIJMES

"Saint Nicholas Girls' School" redirects here. For its relocation of primary school inToa Payoh,seeCHIJ Primary (Toa Payoh).For its relocation of secondary school inToa Payoh,seeCHIJ Secondary (Toa Payoh).For its new campus inAng Mo Kio,seeCHIJ Saint Nicholas Girls' School.

CHIJMES
Main entrance to CHIJMES
Type	Complex
Location	30Victoria Street,Singapore187996
Coordinates
Founded	1854
Founder	FatherJean-Marie Beurel
Built	Caldwell House(1840–1841) Convent of the Holy Infant Jesus Chapel(1904) Saint Nicholas Girls' School(1951)
Built for	Convent of the Holy Infant Jesus
Original use	Town Convent
Restored	1996
Current use	Commercial
Architect	George Drumgoole Coleman:Caldwell House(1840–1841) FatherCharles Benedict Nain:Convent of the Holy Infant Jesus Chapel(1904) Swan & Maclaren:Saint Nicholas Girls' Schoolbuilding blocks (1951)
Governing body	National Heritage Board
Website	chijmes.sg

CHIJMES(pronounced "chimes",acronymdefinition:Convent of the Holy Infant Jesus Middle Education School) is a historic building complex in Singapore, which began life as aCatholicconventknown as theConvent of the Holy Infant Jesus(CHIJ). The complex is located atVictoria Streetin theDowntown Core,within theCentral Area,Singapore's central business district.

The complex was used as aCatholicconventfrom 1852, with an acquiredCaldwell Housewhich was constructed in 1840–1841, an acquired Convent Orphanage house in 1855, theConvent of the Holy Infant Jesus Chapelin 1904 and an acquired hotel complex for the girls' school in 1933. TheCaldwell House,currently aweddingvenue, and theGothic-stylechapel, renamed asCHIJMES Hall,currently afunction halland also a wedding venue, have both been gazetted asnational monuments.The complex was restored in 1996 for commercial purposes as adining,shoppingand entertainment centre with ethnic restaurants, shops and a function hall, providing a backdrop for musicals,recitals,theatricalperformances and weddings.

History

The CHIJMES Hall, designed by Father Charles Benedict Nain as a chapel, was completed in 1904.

After FatherJean-Marie Beurelconsecrated theCathedral of the Good Shepherdon 6 June 1847, he had an ambition to open a school for boys to be managed by theBrothers of the Christian Schools.

In 1848, Father Beurel asked theStraits Settlements governmentfor land to build a school, but was refused. He left Singapore on 28 October 1850 for France. While he was in France, Father Beurel approached theReverend MotherSaintFrançois de Sales de Faudoas, the 14thSuperior Generalof theInfant Jesus Sisters,to enlist some sisters in starting a school for girls. He returned to Singapore in 1852 with some Brothers from the Brothers of the Christian Schools and with them he later foundedSaint Joseph's Institutionat theformer chapelin May 1852.

In July 1852, he asked the Straits Settlements Government once again for land next to the church for a charitable institution for girls, he was told that there was already sufficient land given to the church. Later in August 1852, FatherJean-Marie Beurelpurchased the house at the corner of Victoria Street from H.C. Caldwell for theSisters of the Holy Infant Jesusfor 4,000francs,the house was since known as theCaldwell House.

In October 1852, the four Sisters of the Holy Infant Jesus, Reverend MotherMathilde Raclot,Mother Appollinaire, Mother Gaetan Gervais and Sister Gregory Connolly arrived inPenangafter having travelled overland from their native country incaravans.Mother Mathilde Raclot, leader of this group, was to become a key personality in the early history of theConvent of the Holy Infant Jesuson Victoria Street.

On 2 February 1854, the Sisters sailed to Singapore from Penang on a mission to build a school for girls.On 5 February 1854, they reached the island's shores and took up residence at the Caldwell House.

The nuns began taking in pupils only ten days after moving in, establishing the first CHIJ school in Singapore. Reverend Mother Mathilde staffed her school with sisters from the parent Society, the Institute of the Charitable Schools of the Holy Infant Jesus of Saint Maur. She dedicated 20 years of her life turning the convent into a school, a house at the corner of the Stamford Road and North Bridge Road was acquired in 1855 to serve as anorphanageandrefugeknown asHome for Abandoned Babiesfor local girls and women and sometimes boys. Two classes were conducted, one for fee-paying students and another for orphans and the poor. Slowly, the nuns managed to restore the house into a simple but austere residence.

Replica of theGate of Hopeat CHIJMES (original gate and orphanage were destroyed during theBattle of Singapore).

Father Beurel had since acquired all the nine lots of land between Victoria Street andNorth Bridge Road,originally belonging to theRaffles Institution,that would constitute the entire convent complex. He presented them all to Reverend Mother Mathilde.

The first chapel of the Convent, which was built in 1855, was in such a bad condition that it was necessary to build a new one. At the end of the 19th century, the Sisters startedfund-raisingby various means for the new chapel. The old one was becoming so dangerous that the Sisters decided to celebratemassin Caldwell House.

FatherCharles Benedict Nain,a priest atChurch of Saint Peter and Saint Paul,was engaged as an architect for the construction of thechapelat the Convent of the Holy Infant Jesus and, on behalf of the Roman Catholic community, was in charge at the same time of the construction of the extension of the Saint Joseph Institution. The construction of the chapel started in 1901 with the architectural firmSwan & Maclarenoversaw its constructions and it was completed by 1903. Father Nain was highly involved in the worksite. He was the author of all the fine architectural details found in the chapel. The new chapel was consecrated on 11 June 1904.

Intricate floral and bird motifs on theCorinthiancolumns at CHIJMES Hall

Much of the knowledge about the daily activities of the convent comes from seven volumes ofdiariesthat were meticulously kept by conventscribes.These diaries cover over a hundred years of convent history, from 1851 to 1971; they are handwritten in French and entitledAnnales de Singapour.From their observations, it is known that life within the convent walls was anything but sedate. Apart from daily chores, the nuns also had to organise and attendmass,gradepapers,maintain the buildings and the grounds as well asraise moneyto support their activities.

Saint Nicholas Girls' Schoolwas established on 16 January 1933 and held classes in the four oldbungalowswhich once formed theHotel van Wijkof the 1890s.

During theBattle of Singaporeon 15 February 1942 at 3:30 pm, four bombs were dropped by the Japanese warplanes onto the complex; one bomb exploded near the main gate and damaged; the second bomb exploded near the orphanage, which destroyed it; the third bomb exploded in the field next to the chapel, scattered its stained glass windows including the two of the large panels around the chapel's high altar; a fourth bomb exploded at the school field of the Saint Nicholas Girls' School.

During theJapanese Occupation of Singapore,about forty of the Sisters, together with the orphans and teachers were deported to a camp inBahau,Negeri Sembilan,Malaya(present dayMalaysia), where many of them would die from the harsh conditions there. Two months later after the Occupation began, the school reopened under Japanese authority as theVictoria Street Girls' School.The remaining Sisters at the Town Convent had to wear armbands to show they were not British people, and had to learn Japanese in order to teach Japanese curriculum to their students.Students there were made to learn Japanese songs and watch Japanese films as part of the curriculum.

Following the surrender of the Japanese in 1945, the school resumed under its former name. Later in 1949, one of the bungalows' room had suddenly collapsed. The bungalows were subsequently deemed unsafe and demolished in 1950. The new three storey building blocks designed by Swan & Maclaren was later built on the former site and completed by 1951.In 1964, the school was separated into primary and secondary sections.

In 1983, theSingapore Governmentacquired the land from the Convent and the schools were allocated a new site in Toa Payoh. The lastreligious servicewas held in the chapel on 3 November 1983, after which the chapel wasdeconsecratedand the town convent was closed. By December 1983, both primary and secondary schools had vacated the site and moved to their new premises in Toa Payoh, where they began operations in the following year. Part of the former schools was demolished in 1984 with one of its remaining block was incorporated in part of theSMRT Headquarters Buildingwhich was later built on its former site.

The former Convent of the Holy Infant Jesus Chapel under conservation and reconstruction in 1994.

TheUrban Redevelopment Authorityput up the site for sale in March 1990 and later had theConvent of the Holy Infant Jesus ChapelandCaldwell Housegazetted asnational monumentson 26 October 1990.

The complex underwent extensive restoration works in 1991, carefulrestorationwork had preserved much of the original structure of the convent: the Caldwell House, the chapel, and the remaining school blocks which were spared from demolition. In 1996, after almost five and a half years ofconservationand construction work, what was once the Convent of the Holy Infant Jesus and the seat of education for generations of Singapore girls, has been converted into a plaza of theme retail and food and beverage outlets interspersed with ample outdoor spaces andcourtyards,cloisteredwalls and long, covered walkways. This haven in the city hub of Singapore, now known as CHIJMES, is aS$100 million project unmatched for its location and unique ambiance.

The CHIJMES won a Merit Award in the UNESCOAsia Pacific Heritage Awardsfor Cultural Heritage Conservation in 2002.

Architecture

A few of the 648capitalson the columns of the chapel and a spiral staircase along a corridor

The Convent of the Holy Infant Jesus is distinctive for being an architecturally self-contained city block in Singapore. It contains groups of buildings of different styles and periods to maintain a diversity inaesthetics.They are formed aroundcourtyardsand other expansive spaces,landscapedand enclosed with walls which scale with its urban surroundings.

The various buildings are related by design with the intent to form exterior spaces which would be pleasing for its users, and were used for church school activities until November 1983 when the school vacated the premises. The spaces contained within the whole block have been adapted forpublic use,and form one of the major buildings in the Central Area.

Caldwell House

Main article:Caldwell House, Singapore

Caldwell House at CHIJMES

Caldwell House was purchased for the convent by FatherJean-Marie Beurel,a French missionary, who also establishedSaint Joseph's Institution,the former site of which is now theSingapore Art Museum,and theCathedral of the Good Shepherd,where he was the parish priest. Caldwell House was built from 1840 to 1841 for H.C. Caldwell, amagistrate'sclerk,is the oldest building in thisenclave,which also includes the Gothic chapel and Saint Nicholas Girls' School buildings. Thebayon the upper floor became the sisters' lounge. It was in the Caldwell House that the nuns did their sewing, reading and writing for so many years in the semicircular upstairs room whilst the first storey served as a parlour and visitors' room. Caldwell House was designed byGeorge Drumgoole Coleman,and is an example of hisNeoclassicalstyle.

CHIJMES Hall

Main article:CHIJMES Hall

The interior of CHIJMES Hall, showing the arched ceiling andstained glasswindows

The earlyGothic RevivalstyleConvent of the Holy Infant Jesus Chapelhas finely detailed works, such as theplasterwork,the wallfrescoesandstained glasspanels.

The grandAnglo-Frenchchapel was established with the support of the Catholic community in Singapore and beyond. Designed by FatherCharles Benedict Nain,the chapel is one of the most elaborateplaces of worshipever built in Singapore. The chapel's stained-glass windows were designed by Jules Dobbelaere and were imported fromBruges,Belgium.

A five-storeyspireflanked by flyingbuttressesmarks the entrance to the chapel. The 648capitalson thecolumnsof the chapel and its corridors each bear a unique impression of tropicalfloraand birds.

Physical alterations within CHIJMES

Apart from having part of its compound taken by MRTC headquarters, the remaining site went through several modifications in order to increase its commercial viability.

In 2013, CHIJMES was given a $45-million uplift. Some of these physical changes include the 1) lowering of cloister walls along Victoria street, 2) 4 new entrances, 3) Access to chapel and Caldwell house 4) removal of cobblestone floor and lifting of roof, 5) covering of sunken courtyards.

Lowering of cloister walls along Victoria Street

• The upper section of the cloister walls is replaced by metal grilles to allow Chijmes to be visible from the street.

New entrances

• Apart from the main entrance on Victoria Street, three entrances will be added to the complex - along Bras Basah Road, North Bridge Road and the last one at the junction of both roads. These entrances act as "Historical Portals" with narratives on the walls telling the Chijmes heritage.

Access to the chapel and Caldwell House

• The front of the chapel is now replaced by glass doors and walls and is open to visitors to tour its interior.

Change of cobblestone floor and elevating the roof

• The old cobblestone flooring in Chijmes’ driveway, forecourt and Caldwell House have been replaced with large black granite pavers to make it more pedestrian-friendly.
• The roofs of the old walkways are elevated and replaced with glazed panels, to allow for increased light penetration.

Sunken courtyards sheltered

• Previously, there was a big, open space below ground behind the chapel, which housed an open-air area and outdoor seating. Now, the area is being covered with a glass ceiling that will protect the patrons from the elements.

Gallery

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  Caldwell HouseandCHIJMES Hall
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  Night view of CHIJMES, Singapore
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In popular culture

Theweddingscene inCrazy Rich Asianstook place atCHIJMES Hall.

External links

• Official website
• Uniquely Singapore article
• Journey to Singapore's Yesteryears – CHIJMES

References

Bibliography

• Norman Edwards, Peter Keys (1996).Singapore – A Guide to Buildings, Streets, Places.Times Books International.ISBN9971-65-231-5.
• Preservation of Monuments Board.Know Our Monuments.