Portuguese Settlement, Ayutthaya

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Portuguese Settlement, Ayutthaya

Portuguese Cemetery is located just to the south of Ayutthaya, lies the ruins of the Old Portuguese Settlement. The foundations of the old church with it's excavated cemetery makes a rather bizarre exhibit.

The Portuguese were the first Europeans to settle in Siam. They settled in Ayutthaya, the former capital, in 1511.

At this time, Portuguese were arms traders and mercenaries. They developed in the region a trade of guns, ammunition and mercenaries to both side in the Burmese Wars with Siam.

The Portuguese wanted part of the spice trade that was until then controlled by Muslim traders. They developed a strategy of creating fortified outposts from Goa in India to Macau in China.

Hence, they settled an embassy in Ayutthaya, and they were the main foreign community, as the established ruling elite in Siam spoke Portuguese for diplomatic and trade purposes.

The Portuguese village in Ayutthaya formally started when King Ramathiboldi 11 allotted them a piece of land 3.5km south from the city.

By the reign of King Narai there were over 3,000 Portuguese living there. To be accepted by the local population, the Portuguese men intermarried with Asian ladies (the same as did the Chinese).

In the 1767, all the settlement was destroyed.

Today, the Portuguese Settlement are brick ruins.

Inside the modern building, you will discover the vestiges of an ancient church and burials with skeletons (200) of the Portuguese cemetery.

Comment# 1 at: 2010-06-04 20:53:17 Comment by: TT

The ruins of the Dominican Church of San Petro were located within the Portuguese settlement. Portuguese came to Siam as early as 1511. Their ships arrived at the port of Ayutthaya with merchants, shipbuilders, and soldiers of fortune. The first Dominican missionaries arrived in Siam in 1567 and were given residence in one of the best locations in the city. After the Burmese attack of Ayutthaya in 1569, new priests arrived and the Roman Catholic parish grew. The church of San Petro for the Dominican sect (locally called Ban Jacobin) was one of the three parishes set up in the Portuguese settlement. The settlement was destroyed during the Burmese attack of Ayutthaya in 1767. On 21 March 1767, the Dominican parish priest surrendered to the Burmese together with its Christians. Two days later the Dominican church was plundered.
The remains of the church are still viewable at the foundation level. However, the highlight of this site is the graveyard containing a large number of skeletons. The skeletons include males, females, and children in layered positions that can be almost surrealistic to view. These excavations were done starting in the 1970s. A curious cross-cultural view is a spirit house with Christian figures inside. This area is considered haunted by some residents.

Comment# 2 at: 2010-06-04 20:55:31 Comment by: tt

The ruins of the Jesuit Church of San Paolo were also located within the former Portuguese settlement. In 1625, Friar Pedro de Morejon, a Spanish Jesuit, received the tasks of releasing Spanish prisoners held in Siam and helping to start a Jesuit mission. The small Jesuit community came rather quickly to an end in 1632. The founder of the second Jesuit residence was Fr. Tomaso Valguarnera (1608-1677) from Sicily. He arrived from Macau in 1655 and remained in Siam for fifteen years. He later returned to Siam in 1675 because Christians, many of them Japanese, urgently requested a priest of this faith. He built a residence and the San Paolo church in the Portuguese settlement. Valguarnera died there in 1677. The church of San Paolo for the Jesuit sect (locally called Ban Jesuit) was one of the three parishes set up in the Portuguese settlement.

Comment# 3 at: 2010-06-04 20:55:59 Comment by: tt

In March 1767, the Portuguese settlement and the St Joseph church were attacked, isolated and surrounded by the Burmese. The Christians fought bravely, but they were few and short of ammunition. The Portuguese surrendered to the Burmese on 21 March. For two days the churches and property were protected in order to persuade the French Bishop Brigot with his Christians to surrender. After the French Bishop Brigot surrendered on 23 March, the St Joseph church and seminary, as well as the San Petro and San Paolo churches, were plundered. The catholic priests were taken prisoners and during the month of May sent to Tavoy in Burma.
The remains of this church are currently being excavated. There are a number of walls visible and traces of the basic foundation layer. There is only enough viewable to get a general idea of the church’s size and design. Unlike the Dominican Portuguese site, the burial grounds at this church have remained untouched.

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