AYUTTHAYA HISTORICAL RESEARCH



THE DOMINICAN CHURCH OF SAN PETRO





The ruins of the Dominican Church of San Petro are located within the former Portuguese settlement, off the city island in the southern area of Ayutthaya in the present Samphao Lom Sub-district (1).

Since the early 16th century, there have been contacts between Portugal and Siam. Portuguese ships arrived at the port of Ayutthaya, and with time, Portuguese merchants, shipbuilders, and soldiers of fortune came to settle. As the Portuguese community grew, there was a request for religious support. The first Dominican missionaries, Friar Jeronimo da Cruz and Sebastiâo da Canto, arrived in 1567 CE in Siam. They were given a residence befitting to them in one of the best locations in the city. The Black Friar (2) Jeronimo da Cruz, together with two new missionaries, was killed in the Burmese attack of Ayutthaya in 1569 CE [1]. After the war, new priests arrived, and the Roman Catholic parish grew.

The church of San Petro for the Dominican sect (locally called Ban Jacobin) was one of the three parishes set up in the Portuguese settlement the two others being the church of San Paolo for the Jesuit sect (Ban Jesuit) and a church for the Franciscan sect.




(The ruins of the Dominican Church – Picture taken January 2009 CE)



The Dominican Church was a rectangular structure 50 m long by 40 m wide. The church entry faced east towards the Chao Phraya River (the old Lopburi River). The base of the building was 1.6 m high. The church contained separate functions, such as a ceremonial hall and a residence for the priest. In front of the church was a cemetery in which more than 200 burials were found. The skeletons uncovered mainly were those of mestizos from intermarriages.


The settlement was destroyed during the Burmese attack of Ayutthaya in 1767 CE. On 21 March 1767 CE, the Dominican parish priest and its Christians surrendered to the Burmese. For two days, the churches and property were protected to persuade the French Bishop Brigot with his Christians at Ban Pla Het to surrender. After the Bishop surrendered on 23 March, the St Joseph Church and seminary, as well as the San Petro and San Paolo churches, were plundered. The priests were taken prisoners and, during the month of May, sent to Tavoy in Burma.





(The restored foundations of the Dominican Church – Picture taken February 2015 CE)



The excavation of the site


The ruins of the church were excavated in the period 1984-1995 CE by the Fine Arts Departments with funding from the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation (3) in Lisbon. HRH Princess Galyani Vathana presided over the opening ceremony of the Portuguese Archaeological site on 2 April 1995 CE. Excavation started on 2 March 1984 CE by the Archaeology Section Unit 1 of the Archaeological Division of the Fine Arts Department under the responsibility of Mr Patipat Pumpongpaet and in collaboration with the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation of Portugal.


The San Petro area was chosen as the first excavation site in the Portuguese settlement area, as it was the easiest to explore. The excavation permission could be readily obtained as the grounds belonged to the Catholic Mission of Thailand. The site was already classified as of archaeological interest by the Department of Fine Arts in 1935 CE. Moreover, the site could be reached via water and land, adding tourist value to the area.


The exploration phase did not require much effort because, at ground level, archaeological artefacts were still visible. A total of 253 skeletal remains of European and Asian men and women, adults and children were found during the exploration along the fence. Elements visible during the exploration phase were a set of bricks in the southern area occupying about 5 meters from east to west and another set in the northwest corner, with about a two-meter-expanse. At the top of the hill of San Petro, brick shards and fragments of Chinese porcelain were also found.





(Picture of the excavation of the ancient mound at San Petro Church, Samphao Lom Subdistrict, Ayutthaya. High-angle shot during the digging and trimming of the tamarind tree by Patipat Pumpongphaet, resulting in a wide-angle image covering the work area. Source: siamportuguesestudy.blogspot.com/2010/06/blog-post_12.html by Prof. Bidya Sriwattanasarn retrieved on 13 Dec 2024.)



The Dominican church had at least two separate construction phases. Michel Jacq-Hergoualc'h sets the last quarter of the sixteenth century as the date of the present construction, based on testimony cited by French Jesuit Tachard. Rita Bernardes de Carvalho writes that it is possible that several phases of construction succeeded each other throughout the seventeenth century, as the Christian community user of the Dominican church increased according to the periods of emigration of Christians of various nationalities. [3]

Various artefacts were found within and nearby the excavation areas, such as religious objects: crosses, crucifixes, rosary beads, and coins bearing religious icons architectural findings: baked clay roof tiles, Chinese glazed tiles Coins utensils: glass bottles, glass vase, spectacle lenses, pipe, porcelains, and ornaments. From the latter were only discovered a few, partially found in the burials, placed along with the corpses, such as bracelets, beads, small bronze bells, and bronze rings.




(View of the burial site of the San Petro Church before the Great Flood of 2011 CE – Picture taken January 2009 CE)



Footnotes:


(1) Freely translated the “Capsized Junk” Sub-district.

(2) The Dominicans are referred to as Blackfriars because of the black cappa or cloak they wear over their white habits. In France, the Dominicans are also known as Jacobins because their first convent in Paris bore the name Saint Jacques, and Jacques is Jacobus in Latin. Their identification as Dominicans gave rise to the pun that they were the Domini Canes or Hounds of the Lord. Members of the order generally carry the letters O.P., standing for Ordinis Praedicatorum, meaning the Order of Preachers, after their names.

(3) The Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation is a Portuguese private institution of public utility whose statutory aims are in the fields of arts, charity, education, and science. Created by a clause in Calouste Sarkis Gulbenkian's will, the Foundation's statutes were approved in 1956 CE. The head office is in Lisbon. The Foundation promotes Portuguese culture abroad and operates a program to preserve evidence of the Portuguese presence globally (http://www.gulbenkian.pt).


References:


[1] A Brief History Of The Catholic Church In Thailand by Fr. Surachai Chumsriphan (2002) - www.sspxasia.com

[2] www.newadvent.org

[3] La présence Portugaise à Ayutthaya (Siam) aux XVIe et XVIIe siècles. Rita Bernardes de Carvalho (Paris, 2006).





(Plan of the excavations of the Dominican Church drawn by Patipat Pumpongphaet. Source: Muang Boran Journal.)



Selected PICTURES



Pictures taken October 2008 CE



Pictures taken January 2009 CE



Selected PICTURES



Pictures taken February 2019 CE



MAPS



Map 1 - Detail of Jean de Maguelonne de Courtaulin's drawing “Siam ou Iudia, Capitalle du Royaume de Siam Dessigné sur le lieu Par Mr Courtaulin missre Apostolique de la Chine”, published in 1686 CE by map seller, Franciscus Jollain, the elder (1641-1704 CE).
Map 2 - Detail of a map out of Simon de la Loubere's book "A New Historical Relation of the Kingdom of Siam by Monsieur De La Loubere ... done out of French, by A.P. Gen. R.S.S." Printed by F.L for Tho. Horne ... Francis Saunders ... and Tho. Bennet ..., 1693 CE.
Map 3 - Detail of Vincenzo Maria Coronelli's drawing "Siam, o Iudia", published in 1695 CE.



Map 4 - Detail of Phraya Boran Ratchathanin's map 1926 CE. Wat Suwandararam, Ayutthaya.
Map 5 - Detail of a 1974 CE Fine Arts Department map. Courtesy Dr Surat Lertlum, Chulachomklao Royal Military Academy.
Map 6 - Detail of a 1993 CE Fine Arts Department map. Courtesy Khun Supot Prommanot, Director of the 3rd Regional Office of Fine Arts.



When the past no longer illuminates the future, the spirit walks in darkness.
(Alexis de Tocqueville)





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