Sarawak eyes heritage status for 167-year-old hilltop church
- BT
- 9 minutes ago
- 3 min read
LINGGA, 15 April 2026 - The Ministry of Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts Sarawak (MTCP) led a site visit to St Paul’s Church in Banting, Lingga, Sri Aman Division yesterday to discuss the prospect of gazetting the church as a heritage site under the Sarawak Heritage Ordinance 2019.
The visit is part of the Sarawak Government’s ongoing push to identify and assess historically significant sites, and brought together the Sarawak Museum Department, Sri Aman Resident’s Office and Lingga District Office, as well asrepresentatives from the Anglican Diocese, local community leaders, and the St Paul’s School community. The main agenda was a discussion on the church’s current condition, its historical significance, and the best ways to preserve or restore it.
At the juncture, MTCP's Head of Heritage and Creative Industry Division, Dr Elena Gregoria Chai Chin Fern, took the opportunity to clear up a common misconception about what gazettement actually means.
“Many people assume that once a building is gazetted, it becomes the property of the Sarawak Government. That is not true. Ownership remains with the original owner, and the government’s role is only to protect and help maintain the structure,” she said, adding that buildings over 100 years old that remain in active use (whether publicly or privately) are eligible for consideration as Class 2 Heritage sites under the ordinance. Given its age and its continued role as a place of worship for the local community and the longhouse faithfulsof the surrounding area, St Paul’s Church checks those boxes.
She also pointed out that gazettement allows the State Government to channel funding towards repair and conservation works.
“This includes fixing identified structural issues without affecting the building's original features,” she said, explaining further that only changes involving the main structure require approval, as these could affect its heritage value.
MTCP was firm that the community will be at the centre of any decisions going forward, with all parties expected to be on board before anything moves ahead. For Dr Elena, gazettement is how the Sarawak Government makes sure that places like St Paul's Church, its surrounding cemetery, and the irreplaceable original features within it, are still standing and still telling their stories long into the future.
Perched atop a hill in Kampung Banting along Batang KlaohRiver, St Paul's Church is not an easy place to reach. To get there, one must climb a steep hill for anywhere between 10 to 20 minutes depending on one’s fitness level.
Built in 1859, it is one of the oldest standing churches in the State. It carries strong historical value as a witness to the early growth of the Christian community and the development of settlements in the Lingga area.
The church retains several of its original features dating back to 1859, namely its bell tower and church bell, windows crafted from belian (ironwood), a baptismal font, and an altar with stained glass that incorporates the design of the old Sarawak flag. These have all survived for 167 years, and counting.
To this day, the church remains an active place of worship that draws faithfuls from surrounding longhouses in Banting, whose communities have looked to St Paul’s as their spiritual home for generations. The steep climb to the hilltop church is part of the journey the devotees make on a weekly basis.
Interestingly, a century-old cemetery surrounds the church. Some of the graves found within the grounds may even predate the church itself. Among the notable resting places is the grave of Janting, an Iban warrior whose significance to the area’s history was honoured when his grave was refurbished on March 17, 2017 to ensure its preservation.
