Gereja Blenduk

The church is inscribed with GPIB (Gereja Potestan Indonesia Barat — West Indonesia Protestant Church) Immanuel—Gereja Blenduk, it’s common name refers to the dome, mblendhuk denotes a bulging shape in Javanese. Except for Sunday’s, the main doors are closed but visitors can gain entry from the side door facing the square and a guardian will point you in the direction of a “donation” box (10,000 rupiah requested).

The interior sanctuary features an ornate baroque-style silver-coloured organ decorated with trumpeting and harp-playing angels, although we’re informed it no longer functions. Behind the organ, an ornamented wrought iron spiral staircase probably leads to the organists station, but we were not permitted to climb up for a peek. Other than the organ and a row of Corinthian columns flanking the eight archways, the white interior is rather restrained.

A circular chandelier hangs from the high central dome of the light-filled church and modest geometric stained-glass windows are designed with simple octagonal patterns, repeated in the yellow, black and brown tile design of the floor. Rattan-backed teak chairs and pews are lined up to face an unusual free-standing teak pulpit with an umbrella-like domed cover echoing the domed ceiling.

As well as visiting this historic church, take your time wandering around Kota Lama, this old city area and visit Semarang Contemporary Art Gallery, stopping for a coffee at the wonderfully restored Spiegel Bar & Bistro

Architecture and layout

Blenduk Church, at 32 Letjen Suprapto Street in the old town of Semarang, Central Java, is located in a small courtyard between former office buildings. The Jiwasraya building is located to the south, across the street, while the Kerta Niaga offices are to its west.

The octagonal church, built on a stone foundation and with single-layer brick walls, has its ground floor at street level. It is topped by a large, copper-skinned dome, from which it gets its common name; the Javanese word mblenduk means dome. The dome is supported by 32 steel beams, 8 large and 24 small. Two towers, square at the base and slowly rounding until topped with a small dome, are located on either side of the main entrance, while a cornice consisting of horizontal lines runs around the building; Roman-style porticoes covered in saddle-shaped roofs are located on its eastern, southern and western faces. Blenduk also features etched and stained glass windows, as well as wood-panel double doors at the south-facing entrance.

The wooden pews inside Blenduk have rattan seats, while the pulpit is completely made of wood and located on an octagonal platform made of teak.[1][5] A nonfunctional Baroque pipe organ from the 1700s is also located inside.[1][4] The floor is covered in black, yellow, and white tiles.[5] In the northern part of the interior is a spiral staircase, etched with name of its manufacturer, Pletterij den haag (Rolling Mill, The Hague), which leads to the second floor. ( Source : https://www.travelfish.org and https://en.wikipedia.org )