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01Street ViewStory 01 of 06

Melaka, Malaysia · January 2024

Red Walls, White Light

My first walk for this page was in Melaka’s old town. A grey sky, rain on the way, and two old churches just a few streets apart. I started with the red one.

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  1. Christ Church Melaka, a red Dutch church dated 1753, under a heavy grey sky01
  2. The aisle of St. Francis Xavier's Church during a service, people in silhouette and a lit altar02
  3. The twin neo-gothic spires of St. Francis Xavier's Church above red tiled roofs and a tree03
Christ Church Melaka, a red Dutch church dated 1753, under a heavy grey sky

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The Red Church

This is Christ Church. The year is written right there on the front: 1753. The Dutch built it, and today it’s still the oldest Protestant church in Malaysia that’s in use.

The sky was heavy and grey that day, and honestly, I loved it. Against all that grey, the red walls almost glow. So I gave the sky most of the frame and let the church sit at the bottom, with the square still busy around it.

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The aisle of St. Francis Xavier's Church during a service, people in silhouette and a lit altar

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Inside, During Mass

A few streets away is the Church of St. Francis Xavier. A service was going on inside, so I stayed quietly at the back.

From there, the people on both sides turn into dark shapes, and the aisle becomes a road that leads straight to the altar, the only warm light in the room. Nothing here is posed. I just pressed the shutter.

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The twin neo-gothic spires of St. Francis Xavier's Church above red tiled roofs and a tree

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Two Spires Over the Roofs

From outside, the same church shows off its twin gothic spires. It was built in 1849, on the site of an old Portuguese church, by a French priest named Father Farvé.

I didn’t want a postcard shot, so I took it from the street, over red-tiled roofs and through a tree. That’s how you really see it in Melaka: part of the skyline, behind ordinary houses. Look closely and you’ll find birds sitting on the tips.

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02Next storyStreet View · 06 stories
Double exposure of a crowned statue of Mary and Child over the congregation and the altar, black and white St. Francis Xavier’s Church, Melaka · January 2024Built 1849Read the story
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