CHIJMES

CHRONOLOGY OF THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE SITE

From the articles and the documents of the archives we can assume the following construction dates or periods of each building: Classical Buildings:

1) Block A: Caldwell House built in 1842, extended in 1852 by Father Beurrel.

2) Block F & C: Open Galleries. There are no written documents describing their construction, but according to their architecture and construction details, they are certainly from the middle of the 19th century, but with many modifications during their existence.

3) Block D: Orphanage built probably between 1860 and 1890.

Neo-gothic Buildings:

4) Block B: Chapel built in 1902 - 1904 Grotto built in this time.

5) Block C: Gallery built directly after the construction of the Chapel (probably around 1910).

Modern Building:

6) Block E: Dormitory built in the 1950s

CHARLES-BENEDICT NAIN (1870-1916)

Charles-Benedict Nain was born in Farges-les-Macon, France, (400 km. south east of Paris and 100 km. north of Lyon), on May 5th. 1870.

He trained for the priesthood at the Society of Foreign Missions in the Rue du Bac in Paris. Ordained in 1894, he came out to the diocese of Malacca in the same year. Two years later, he was sent to Penang for the Church of Our Lady of Seven Sorrows.

In 1898, he became the assistant parish priest of the Cathedral of the Good Shepherd and he placed his outstanding gifts as an architect at the disposal of St. Joseph's Institution and of the Convent.

Father Nain imagined the curved wings in a baroque manner of the St. Joseph Institution. For this, he was probably inspired by the Institute in Paris, which is facing the Seine River in the same way and which was just a few steps away from the Rue du Bac where he came so often being a student.

When this building was undergoing construction, Father Nain was employed by the sisters for the design and the construction of the Gothic-style chapel. He was very devoted to these two buildings, which have now become major landmarks of Singapore. It is amazing to imagine this Father moving between the two worksites, directing, advising and devising methods of fixing a classical molding or a Gothic refoil.

It is unknown for the gothic chapel which similar churches or books inspired him for all the drawings and designs for the details. Similar churches can be found in France, but they are never as elaborate as the scale of the chapel in Singapore.

In 1904, he became the parish priest of the parish of St. Paul in Seremban; there he spent himself tirelessly visiting his far-flung Chinese congregation. Eventually he became so ill that he was obliged to return to France to recover. He was there for two years and returned to Singapore as the parish priest of the Church of the Good Shepherd. Here he remained until 1913 when his health again forced him to go home.

When the Great War broke out in 1914, he was called up for military service and posted to a medical unit. Soon the conditions of the army life, combined with a weakened constitution, brought about a crisis, and he died at Vichy in 1916 at the age of only forty-six. Hundreds of wounded soldiers and officers attended the funeral ceremony in Vichy to say a last farewell to the devoted brother beloved by all.

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