KUALA LUMPUR – Nestled along the fringes of the Bukit Seraya Forest reserve, the ruins of the Sacred Heart of Jesus Catholic Church – a remnant of what was once a burgeoning village in Pagar Tras – stand.
What is left of the structure captures the convergence of French influence, and the enduring spirit of the Hakka community from Guangdong, China – most of whom had embraced Christianity in their homeland.
The church building once had a commanding presence in the village. The structure’s two towering belfries, a graceful rose window on the façade, and arched windows earned it the nickname – “Notre Dame in the Jungle” – which is a nod to its apparent ambition to replicate the grandeur of Paris’ Notre Dame Cathedral.
Today, the ruins struggle to tell the story of a bygone era and honour the legacy and sacrifices of French missionaries from the Society of Foreign Missions Paris (MEP), and that of Catholic migrants who built their lives around it.
MEP missionaries travelled to Penang mainland from Pulau Tikus sometime in the 1830s. They bought land to set up schools for the local youth and children and built a wooden chapel for the villagers in Pagar Tras. This would become a place of gathering, worship and education for the community.
The larger church of the Sacred Heart of Jesus which replaced the wooden chapel, was blessed and opened in 1895. Like most churches in Malaysia, the mixture of designs makes it difficult to define the architectural style of the structure, but the common consensus is that it is a mixture of Romanesque and Neo-Gothic designs that attempts to replicate churches in France, where most MEP priests originate from.
Speaking at a recent workshop on the history and heritage of Pagar Tras, University Sains Malaysia Centre for Global Archaeological Research (USM CGAR) director Professor Dr Stephen Chia said: “The architecture of the church incorporates fundamental elements of French Gothic architecture, a style that emphasises verticality, light, and decorative detail, dating back to the 12th century in Europe.
“The Gothic style is known for its use of structures and shapes that elevate the viewer’s experience, fostering a spiritual connection through architectural grandeur.”
Former Pagar Tras resident Joachim Loo told the workshop participants how the church functioned not just as a place of worship, but also as a social and educational hub for the community.
“The first Hakka migrants came to Pagar Tras to seek their fortune in the tin mines. Subsequently, they planted rubber and fruit orchards to plant durian, mangosteen, rambutan and also sweet potato and tapioca,” he said.
Loo’s great grandfather Loo Ah Yet, a tin and rubber towkay, was a prolific figure in the community and donated the land for the Pagar Tras church, school and community space to be built on.
In its heyday, the Chinese school built by the missionaries – who were fluent in local languages – educated the young. A pastoral house beside it served the clergy, and the adjacent cemetery was the final resting place for the faithful, including French and local priests who served the community.
However, all this ended when the British colonial administration, in a bid to stamp out communist insurgency during the Malayan Emergency, declared Pagar Tras as a “black area” and moved families of the parish to Chinese New Villages in Sungai Lembu and Machang Bubok. Some moved to larger towns in Bukit Mertajam and Penang.
Loo recounted how the community suffered during that period. “I had an uncle that was forcibly taken away from our home by the communists. As a British Malayan Home Guard, he was accused of spying for the British.
“We found his body by the stream across the road from our family home the next day,” he said.
After the people of Pagar Tras moved, the church was closed in 1948, abandoned and fell to ruins. A new church – also named the Church of the Sacred Heart of Jesus was built in Kulim in 1957.
Today, only part of the nave and sanctuary of the old church remains, along with ruins of one of the two belfries. There is no roof over the structure, but some sections like the side walls and remaining belfry were recently reinforced.
In recent years, the community in the Kulim church, where artefacts from the old church are stored, together with the Seberang Perai City Council, Penang state government, University Sains Malaysia and Think City Sdn Bhd, have been working together to activate the area as a tourism product for the state of Penang, and at the same time honour the history, heritage and culture of the community in the area through capacity building.
So far, a total RM1 million has been allocated by the state government via MPSP to reinforce the remaining structure, and another RM3 million is needed to restore the façade of the building.
The plan is to replicate and restore the original façade of the structure, similar to how the structural façade of the ruins of St Paul in Macau was restored – making it an iconic and popular tourist spot in the Special Administrative Region of Macau, said University Sains Malaysia Centre for Global Archaeological Research director Professor Dr Stephen Chia.
Penang Archdiocese Heritage Conservation Committee Chairman Francis Chen said, that so far, MPSP has spent about RM400,000 to conduct research, and studies and reinforce remains of the structure.
The next stage of the plan involves the construction of a gallery that will feature stories, images and artefacts of the old church, landscaping and public facilities like toilets, a café and a parking lot. An additional RM3 million is needed for this purpose.
Among interesting artefacts from the old Pagar Tras church are baptism, marriage, confirmation and death records – a treasure trove for the families who were a part of that community, religious artefacts including relics of saints, and a piece of the cross of Jesus and a piece of his crown of thorns.
Some remnants of the old church, like stained-glass windows, stations of the cross plaques and statues, were moved, and installed and are still visible in the new church in Kulim.
Penang Tourist Guides Association president Clement Liang said, there is interest in the site despite its current state, especially among French and European tourists, religious tourists and pilgrims who are fascinated with the history of the church, and the contributions of the MEP priests to the people of Pagar Tras, Penang and the Catholic community all over Malaysia and the region.
There are plans to include Pagar Tras ruins as part of Penang’s tourism trail, including a pilgrim’s or religious trail between Pagar Tras, Kulim and the renowned St Anne’s Church in Bukit Mertajam as a tourism product for Penang, once the planned restoration is completed.
Also present at the workshop were, the Roman Catholic Bishop of Penang His Eminence Cardinal Datuk Seri Sebastian Francis, Think City Seberang Perai programme manager Kishore Ramdas, archaeologists and researchers from USM CGAR, Pagar Tras committee members and former residents of Pagar Tras, travel agents and heritage specialists and professionals. – March 9, 2025