St. Anne’s Church
St. Anne’s Church started off as small chapel built by priest Fr. Adolphe Couellan in 1846. It was named after St. Anne, who is the mother of Virgin Mary. It is a famous Roman Catholic Church and is situated in Bukit Mertajam, Penang. The church can accommodate up to 1,800 people and showcases stunning stained glasses windows.
The church is the center of pilgrimage for the annual St. Anne’s Feast held in Malaysia. The feast attracts more than 100,000 pilgrims from Malaysia as well as neighboring countries like Vietnam, Thailand, Singapore, Indonesia, Philippines and also Australia. This commemoration event is conducted in July annually. The highlight of the event is the two nights of candlelit processions where devotees walk around the church’s complex singing hymns.
Image by SioW.
Opening Hours
Daily Masses
Tuesday – Saturday: English: 7:00 am.
Sunday Masses
English: 8:00 am, 11:30 am (at St. Anne’s Shrine on 1st Sunday of the month).
Mandarin: 10:00 am.
Tamil: 11:30 am (2nd to 4th/5th Sunday of the month).
Admission
FREE.
Hear From Others
One of the interesting addition were the 15 life sized statues that tell the story of Jesus when he was crucified. The statues cost RM 600,000 and are really life sized. The process of looking for all the statues was quite fun, it felt like a treasure hunt.
I love to be there, to soak in the ambiance of the hallowed ground, to let my eyes follow the stairs of granite up to the distinct structure of the church halfway up the hill. It is a wonder that despite the bustling all around the church compound, I always felt a sense of serenity whenever I was there.
Peter Gabriel Tan
PeterTan
Oh well, I’m not really a religious person but there was something about the place that made me weak and cold and a little bit unwell all at the same time when I was there. The place for sure is so spiritual I could almost feel it.
Jipp
Jipp-World
Nearby Attractions
Penang Bridge
Designed by a renowned Malaysian architect, Chin Fung Kee, the Penang Bridge is one of the busiest freeways in the country.
Penang Bird Park
With a total of 3,000 birds, the Penang Bird Park is the first and the largest bird park in the Malaysia.
Arulmigu Karumariamman Temple
The Arulmigu Karumariamman Temple had humble beginnings more than a hundred years ago. It was built to cater the needs of the estate workers residing in the Paduma Estate, Perai. It is the largest Hindu temple in Malaysia.