Cathedral of the Good Shepherd

The Cathedral of the Good Shepherd was completed in 1847, making it one of the oldest buildings in Singapore and the oldest Catholic church still standing in the city. The architect, Denis McSwiney, designed it in a restrained Neo-Classical style — a pedimented portico with Doric columns, symmetrical wings, and a bell tower rising over the entrance. The building is made of brick covered in plaster, painted white, and it sits in the middle of Singapore's civic district, surrounded by government buildings, courts, and modern towers. Inside, the space is simple and elegant: a long nave with timber-beamed ceilings, plaster columns, and clear glass windows that let in the equatorial light. The altar and sanctuary were renovated in the 1970s and again in the early 2000s. The church was gazetted as a National Monument in 1973. Through colonial rule under the British, Japanese occupation during World War II, independence in 1965, and the explosive growth that followed, the cathedral has remained the seat of the Archbishop and the heart of Catholic life in Singapore. The Catholic population is about 400,000 — significant in a country of under six million.