Cathedral of the Good Shepherd in Singapore

The Cathedral of the Good Shepherd is the oldest Roman Catholic church in Singapore. It is located in the Museum Planning Area within the Civic District.

Bounded by the parallel Queen and Victoria Streets, and Bras Basah Road, the Cathedral sits within shaded grounds. Much of its architecture is reminiscent of two famous London churches namely St Paul’s, Covent Garden and St Martin-in-the-Fields.

The Cathedral of the Good Shepherd is the cathedral church of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Singapore and the seat of its archbishop. It is the final resting place of Bishop Edouard Gasnier, the first bishop of the revived Diocese of Malacca and aptly houses the relics of Saint Laurent-Marie-Joseph Imbert, to whom the Cathedral owes its name.

The Cathedral of the Good Shepherd stands at the junction of Queen Street and Bras Basah Road. Built between 1843 and 1847, it is the oldest surviving Catholic church in Singapore. The Cathedral was gazetted as a national monument on 28 June 1973.

In as early as 1822, Stamford Raffles gave the Catholic Church land at Bras Basah.However, it was only with the arrival of Father J. B. Boucho in 1832 that the first Catholic chapel was built there. The wood-and-attap construction was built at a cost of 700 Spanish dollars, with the money raised through public subscription. The old site was later converted into a school that became St Joseph’s Institution (now the Singapore Art Museum).

In February 1843, a French priest, Father Jean-Marie Beurel, managed to convince the government to provide the Catholic mission with a plot of land at the corner of Queen Street and Bras Basah Road. The plot became the location for the Church of the Good Shepherd. The foundation stone was laid on 18 June 1843 by John Conolly, a merchant resident in Singapore.⁷  

The Cathedral of the Good Shepherd is the oldest surviving Roman Catholic Church in Singapore and has been recognized as a national monument by Singapore. The church is the seat of the Catholic Archdiocese and Archbishop. The magnificent architecture of the church bears resemblance to two famous churches of London namely the St Paul’s, Covent Garden and St Martin-in-the-Fields. You can come here to offer your prayers and to enjoy the wonderful live gospel music that the church conducts.