Sao Tiago de Hera

Igreja de São Tiago de Hera with the memorial cross

São Tiago de Hera is the main church in the East Timorese Suco Hera ( Administrative Office of Cristo Rei ), east of the state capital Dili . The church is located south of the port of Hera, on the northern coastal road.

The church was dedicated to Apostolic Administrator Ximenes Belo on October 19, 1994.

Building

What is striking about the church is its bell tower above the main portal. It is an open building, the side walls of which consist only of struts. The white and blue interior is very bright, but relatively unadorned. A special feature is that, next to the main nave , the church only has a side nave on the left side behind columns. Behind the altar is a large crucifix, to the left of which are statues of Jesus and James the Elder , the namesake of the church. The floor is tiled with red and white tiles. Above the chancel is written on an archway in Latin: “Fides Sine Operibus Mortua Est” ( German faith without works is dead ). The sentence comes from the letter of James, chapter 2, verse 26.

In front of the church there is a memorial stone with a cross commemorating the 500th anniversary of the evangelization of Timor in 2015.