St Anne's Church Bukit Mertajam

There have been Catholics at Bukit Mertajam since the eighteenth century, when Eurasian and Chinese converts settled here, and the old church on the site dates from 1888; alongside it now stands a much larger modern shrine church opened in 2002, built to hold the numbers that come for the feast. That feast, over about ten days around the twenty-sixth of July, is the largest Catholic pilgrimage in Malaysia and one of the largest in Southeast Asia, drawing well beyond a hundred thousand people including many who are not Catholic - a pattern common in the region, where a shrine with a reputation for answered petitions attracts across religious lines. There is a grotto, a holy well and a hillside way of the cross. Outside the feast the grounds are quiet.

What to look for

• Two churches side by side - the 1888 building and the large 2002 shrine.
• A grotto and holy well - the devotional focus in the grounds.
• A hillside way of the cross - stations climbing behind the church.
• The July feast - ten days drawing well over a hundred thousand people.

When to go

Late July for the feast; any time for a quiet visit. An hour or two.

Things to know

During the feast the town is gridlocked and the grounds are packed; outside it there is little activity. The old church is often locked. Parking is difficult in the festival period.

Nearby

Bukit Mertajam town is close; the Penang bridge crosses to the island.