THEN Who are the people who started CHIJ?
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CHIJMES is a historic building complex in Singapore, where it was actually a Catholic Convent known as the Convent of the Holy Infant Jesus (CHIJ) and convent quarters known as Caldwell House. It was located at Victoria Street. This building started when four French nuns arrived in Penang after having travelled overland from their native country in caravans in October 1852. Mathilde Raclot a reverend mother and the leader of this group, was to become a key personality in the early history of the Convent of the Holy Infant Jesus on Victoria Street.
After moving in for 10 days, they began taking in pupils, 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. Her 20 years of passionate dedication turns the convent into a school, an orphanage and refuge for women. 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 forbidding residence.
On 2 February 1854, the nuns sailed to Singapore from Penang with an aim to build a school for girls, now known as CHIJ Secondary Toa Payoh. They finally reached the island’s shores on 5 February 1854 and took up residence at the first convent quarters, the now gazetted Caldwell House.
Around 1850, the first chapel of the Convent was built. It was in such a bad condition that it was necessary to build a new one. At the end of the 19th century, the Sisters started fundraising by various means to build a new chapel because it was in such bad condition. The old one was becoming so dangerous that the Sisters decided to mass celebrate in Caldwell House.
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Father Beurel attained all the nine lots of land between Victoria Street and North Bridge Road, originally belonging to the Raffles Institution, to constitute the entire convent complex. He presented them all to Reverend Mother Mathilde. After the land has been granted in 1849 for the formation of Saint Joseph's Institution, Father Charles Benedict Nain, a priest at Church of Saint Peter and Saint Paul, tried to a school for girls. He was refused but, fearless and after he re-inspired from his voyage to France in 1852, he was engaged as an architect for the construction of the chapel at the Convent of the Holy Infant Jesus and, on behalf of the Roman Catholic community. He 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 and it was completed by 1904.
The daily activities of the convent has compiled into seven volumes of diaries that were meticulously kept by convent scribes. These diaries cover over a hundred years of convent history, from 1851 to 1971 and they are handwritten in French and entitled Annales de Singapour. To maintain the buildings and the grounds they raise money to support their activities. The last religious service was held in the chapel on 3 November 1983, after which the chapel was irreligious and the town convent was closed. Careful restoration work has preserved much of the original structure of the convent and the chapel.
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nOw
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From a convent to a themed retail plaza. After about five and a half years of preservation and construction work, what was once the Convent of the Holy Infant Jesus and education for generations of Singapore girls, has been converted into a plaza of themed retail and food and beverage outlets infuse with ample of outdoor spaces and courtyards, cloistered walls and long, covered walkways that really resembles the streets from Europe countries. This heavenly city hub of Singapore, now known as CHIJMES, is an S$100 million project unmatched for its location and unique atmosphere. It won a Merit Award in the UNESCO Asia Pacific Heritage Awards for Cultural Heritage Conservation in 2002.The Convent of the Holy Infant Jesus Chapel and Caldwell House were gazetted as a national monument on 26 October 1990. As the first lifestyle destination in Singapore, Chijmes is committed to providing its customers, tourist and tenants with services and facilities of exquisite quality, with an ambience that is both vibrant and sophisticated.
Given the variety of F&B dining experiences set amidst unique landscaped surroundings, it's the perfect venue for cosy indoor fine dining or alfresco dining under the stars. Chijmes, with its beautiful settings and historical appeal, is definitely a must visit for the local and expatriates community and families who work as professionals, tourists and a re-visit for former and current students of CHIJ. Working closely with the tenants, the Management of Chijmes is also planning on looking at the open spaces and courtyard areas as the backdrop for musicals and theatrical performances. The courtyard areas and landscaped lawns are also perfect venues to set the perfect mood for corporate functions like weddings, event launches and private cocktail parties. But more than the beautiful sights for the visitors of Chijmes. With a city location, rich history, unique ambience and wonderful architectural style, the venue has succeeded in attracting premier F&B establishments to be a part of the Chijmes experience. They offered diners and patrons an extensive selection of dining choices ranging from local to international fare with a spectrum of cuisines like Italian, Japanese, French, Spanish, American and Cantonese amongst others. Connoisseurs can also look forward to a variety of specialty cocktails, malt whiskeys, a range of vodkas and fine wines offered by the pubs and bars at Chijmes.
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Design and architecture
DESIGN and
The structure of the building.
What are the design influences? The Convent of the Holy Infant Jesus is known for being an architecturally self-contained city block in Singapore. It contains groups and parts of buildings of different styles and uses in order to maintain a diversity in artistic value. They are formed around courtyards and other expansive spaces, landscaped and enclosed with walls which scale with its urban surroundings. George Drumgoole Coleman's house built in 1840–1841 for H.C. Caldwell, a magistrate's clerk, is the oldest building in this domain, which also includes the Gothic chapel and Saint Nicholas Girls' School buildings. It was in the Caldwell House that the nuns did their activities like sewing, reading and writing for so many years in the semi-circular upstairs room whilst the first storey served as a parlour and visitors' room. The early Gothic style chapel has beautiful finely detailed works, such as the plaster work, the wall frescoes and stained glass panels.
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The cafes and restaurants
archiTecTure
Design and architecture
The grand Anglo-French Gothic chapel was established with the support of the Catholic community in Singapore and beyond. Designed by Father Nain, the chapel is one of the most extensive places of worship ever built in Singapore. The chapel was completed in 1904 and consecrated the following year. A fivestorey spire flanked by flying buttresses marks the entrance to the chapel. The 648 capitals on the columns of the chapel and its corridors each bear a unique impression of tropical flora and birds. The current monument called CHIJMES has a unique architectural design that depicts the streets of Europe countries like Italy and France. It looks like a castle as it use brick walls and there are towers that looks like a castle. It has great ambience that attracted local and tourist customers. The design still looks very historic and classy. It’s very rich and calm. It has a bit of the art deco feeling to its design. The chapel
Entrance to the function hall
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sINGAPORE nATIONAL mONUMENTS
CREDITS http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CHIJMES http://www.chijmes.com.sg/tourist_about.php