Sit under single-tree ceiling beams in Malaysia's oldest working Protestant church
Every ceiling beam cut from one tree
An eighteenth-century church on Jalan Gereja at Dutch Square, begun in 1741 and finished in 1753, still holding services. Free to enter outside service times.
Why it's unique
Christ Church was begun in 1741 to mark a century of Dutch rule and finished in 1753. It is the oldest functioning Protestant church in Malaysia: Dutch Reformed until the British took Melaka in 1824, Anglican since. The nave is 82 feet by 42 with a 40-foot ceiling, and each of the beams spanning it was cut from a single tree.
The building is the most photographed object in the city from the outside and almost nobody goes in, which is the mistake. Inside are the original hand-made pews, a Last Supper tile tableau, brass Bible rests, and Dutch and Armenian tombstones set into the floor, so you are walking on graves while you look up at the beams.
Before you go
Go in. The exterior is the most photographed thing in Melaka and the interior is the part people skip: original hand-made pews, a Last Supper tile tableau, brass Bible rests, and Dutch and Armenian tombstones set into the floor.
Services are still held, so Sunday mornings belong to worshippers. One thing to know while you are looking at the square: the oxide red paint dates only from the British era, and the buildings were white under the Dutch.