Armenian Church

The Armenian Church, formally the Armenian Apostolic Church of Saint Gregory the Illuminator, is Singapore's oldest Christian church, standing at 60 Hill Street at the foot of Fort Canning Hill in the Museum planning area, a short walk from City Hall MRT station. Armenian merchants in Singapore raised about half its cost, with the rest from Armenians in India and Java and from European and Chinese merchants. The foundation stone was laid on 1 January 1835 and the church was consecrated in 1836. George D. Coleman designed it on a cross plan with Doric columns and a pediment at the end of each arm, and the belfry dates from 1853. The church was gazetted as a national monument on 6 July 1973.

The round interior is unique among Singapore's churches, and rattan-backed pews from before the Japanese Occupation face an altar painting of the Last Supper. In the Memorial Garden are tombstones of prominent Armenians recovered from old cemeteries, including Agnes Joaquim, who bred the Vanda Miss Joaquim orchid chosen as the national flower in 1981. The 1905 parsonage holds the Armenian Heritage Gallery, opened in May 2018, which is open by appointment only. The church is open to visitors daily from 10am to 6pm. There is no resident priest, so the Armenian Divine Liturgy is held several times a year by visiting clergy, and Coptic Orthodox and other groups also worship here. Take Exit B at City Hall MRT station.