EXPLORAQUEST SINGAPORE - COLOURFUL SPIRAL STAIRWAYS NEAR BUGIS STREET MRT - 28.2.2009

The spiral staircases seen here outside of shop houses functions strategically as an "escape" route.
The multi-colours, however, have made these spiral escape amenities, decoratives that capture the eye

EXPLORAQUEST SINGAPORE - NATAS FAIR, SINGAPORE EXPO - 27.2 - 1.3.2009

NATAS is the acronym for National Association of Travel Agents of Singapore and is well known for its bi-annual consumer travel fair. Participants of the fairs includes major Singaporean travel and holiday wholesalers and retailers as well as hotels, airlines from all over the world

























Singapore Press reported that about 54,000 Singaporeans throng the fair last weekend and over S$45 million of holiday and travel packages were sold

EXPLORAQUEST SINGAPORE - ST. JOSEPH'S CHURCH, VICTORIA STREET - 25.2.2009

In Uniquely Singapore, it was stated that in 1825, Father Francisco da Silva e Maia founded the Portuguese Mission on the site of the present St Joseph's Church. In Wikipedia, it stated that Father Francisco arrived from Goa and when he died in 1850, he had left money and land on which to build a small church. His funds was augmented by a gift from the King of Portugal and the original church called Sao Hose was built by Reverend Vincente de Sante Catharina who succeeded Father Francisco. Construction work on the Sao Jose (Saint Jose / St Joseph) began in 1851 and completed in 1853

St Joseph's Church is probably the first Catholic place of worship in Singapore. Construction began in 1906 and the church was completed in 1912. In 1906 Sao Hose was pulled down to build the present day St Joseph's Church. The church was built by a firm called Swan and Maclaren

The design of the church is called Gothic style. Gothic architecture is a style of architecture that flourished during the high and late medieval period. According to Wikipedia, the Gothic style evolved from the Romanesque architecture which was then succeeded by the Renaissance architecture

Gothic architecture is also known as French style. The characteristic features of Gothic style are the pointed arch, the ribbed vault and the flying buttress. The pointed arch is said in Wikipedia to have had its origins in Ancient Assyrian architecture where it is found in a number of structures as early as 720BC. Pointed arches are also found in Islamic architecture

According to Wikipedia, Gothic architecture is most familiar as architecture of many great cathedrals, abbeys and parish churches of Europe. It is also the architecture of many castles, palaces, town halls, guild halls and universities

Another iconic feature of Gothic architecture is height. Its central octagonal tower capped with a dome rises high and is flanked by two smaller towers

And another feature is light as can be attested to by the expansive stained glass windows seen at St Joseph's Church
St Joseph's Church was gazetted a Singapore National Monument on 14 January 2005



Check out more Gothic architectural info from Wikipedia (subject: St Joseph's Church Singapore)