The church was called the New Church but later became widely known as Chicken Church (Hantjes Kerk) because at the top of its tower mounted with weather vane shaped a rooster. As mentioned in the Gospel that the chicken directly crowed three times after Peter denied that he was a disciple of Jesus.
In 1914 the church building was demolished because it has been damaged and no longer safe to use. The difficulty in raising funds to rebuild the church could eventually be overcome, thanks to a large donation came from J. Dinger who personally guaranteed the loan from the Dutch government.
The new Chicken Church building was designed by NA. Hulswit from Cuypers en Hulswit Architect Bureau with Neo-Romanesque style with Baroque elements that could accommodate up to 2000 congregation. The new Chicken Church was established in 1915, with two towers, rose-window on the front and the louvre on the roof above the main worship room.
Since 1953 the official name of the church was changed to Peniel Church. In 1998, when riots erupted in Jakarta, a mob tried to storm the historic building, but could be be thwarted and causing only small damage.
From the beginning the majority of the Chicken Church congregations are natives, so the Sunday sermons are conducted in Malay and Dutch.
The original furiture that still exist from the Dutch period legacy are the chair, pulpit, and other furniture made from teak wood. There is also an ancient Bible with beautiful relief printed in 1855, the only one in Indonesia.
Gereja Ayam Jakarta
Address: Jalan Samanhudi Nomor 12, Pasar Baru, Central Jakarta. GPS Location: -6.160766, 106.834077, Waze. Related: Map of Jakarta . Destinations in Jakarta . Hotel in Central Jakarta.Label: Central Jakarta, Church, Heritage, Jakarta, Travel
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