Immaculate Conception Church is the oldest Catholic Institution in Thailand. Hidden in the historic part of Bangkok, the church stands as one of the most important Portuguese legacies in the country.

Known as Conception Church for short, Chiesa dell’Immacolata Concezione in Italian, and Wat Khamen (วัดเขมร) in Thai, the church has a long history that started with the coming of the Portuguese in the 16th and 17th century. In 1674, King Narai of the Ayutthaya Kingdom donated a plot of land to the Portuguese community to build a church. The following year, the first church made of wood was put up. When the Burmese destroyed the Ayutthaya Kingdom, activities of the church was temporarity halted.

After the establishment of the Ratanakhosin Kingdom or the Chakri Dynasty, the church was rebuilt in 1785 with the help of Cambodian refugees. At that time, it was called Bot Ban Khamen or Cambodian Village Church.

The church was rebuilt again in 1832 and it was called Bot Ban Yuan or Vietnamese Village Church because of the great help from the Vietnamese refugees. The present structure was built in 1837 under the supervision of the French missionary Monsignor Pallegoix, the influential abbot who had developed close friendship with King Nangklao (Rama III) and his successor King Mongkut (Rama IV).

Address: 167 Soi Mittakham, Samsen Road, Dusit District, Bangkok 10300 (See map below for exact location.)
Telephone: 02 243 2617

Mass Schedule
Weekdays: (Thai)
Sundays: (Thai)

RELATED: St. Francis Xavier Church, Holy Redeemer Church, List of Catholic Churches in Bangkok

External Link: Wikipedia