St. Nuno Álvares Pereira in Singapore

The sculpture of Saint Nuno of Saint Mary

There is in the church of St. Joseph in Singapore a holy statue of St Nuno of Saint Mary, the Holy Constable (1360-1431), of special devotion within the Portuguese Asian community.

It is a small sculpture of Nuno Álvares, depicted as a young warrior with his gaze raised. He holds a sword in his right hand and rests his left hand on his chest; he is dressed in a robe with the Pereira family coat of arms on the front. The statue is placed in a niche in the left transept of the church.

The statue, probably of Portuguese origin and with similarities to the painting by Luciano Freire (1904) currently in the Military Museum of Lisbon, was donated to the church of St. Joseph in the 1950s by Daniel Lázaroo (1899-1958), a member of one of the Portuguese descent families established in the city of Singapore.

The presence of a statue of the Holy Constable in those distant lands of East Asia uniquely demonstrates the universality of his cult.

The church of St. Joseph in Singapore

The church of St. Joseph is currently one of the most notable churches in the city of Singapore. Its origins date back to the founding of the Portuguese Mission in 1825 by Father Francisco da Silva Pinto e Maia († 1850). A first chapel was built in 1832-1833, and later (1853) a new church, to serve the growing Catholic population.

At the beginning of the 20^th century (1906-1912), the current church was built, with the capacity to house the constantly growing Catholic community. Numerous companies and families of Portuguese descent contributed to its construction.

The church was built in the Neo-Gothic style, with many Portuguese elements in its religious statues and traditions, which are still very much alive today.

The Portuguese descent community of Singapore

In 1819, after the founding of Singapore by Thomas Stamford Raffles (1781-1826), numerous people of Portuguese descent from Malacca settled in the city, receiving spiritual guidance from priests of the Diocese of Malacca.

With the start of the Portuguese Mission in 1825, the community grew, and by 1840, around 500 Catholics were already living in Singapore, most of them of Eurasian descent.

The community developed an intense welfare and educational program in the region, with its own language – Kristang (Christian) –, a creole derived from Portuguese, spoken mainly by Euro-Asian families.

The Portuguese descent community currently plays an active role in the city-state, with its main centre being the church of St. Joseph of Singapore, which has religious traditions rooted in Portuguese faith and is attended by believers of all religions.

Photo: https://sjcvs.org.sg/saints_of_sjc/st-nuno-alvares-pereira/

REFERENCES

• Glimpses and Memories of St. Joseph‘s Church and the Portuguese Mission in Singapore 1825-1999, Singapore, Church of St Joseph, 1999.
• AZEVEDO, Carlos (Dir.), Dicionário de História Religiosa de Portugal, Lisboa, Círculo de Leitores, 2000-2001.
• BOSS, James Newton, An Account of the Portuguese Mission in Singapore (1825-1999) St. Joseph’s Church, Singapore, James Newton Boss, 2009.