Santa Cruz Church, Bangkok Thailand Stock Photo

Santa Cruz Church, also known as Kudi Chin, is a Roman Catholic church in Bangkok. It is in Khwaeng Wat Kanlaya of the Thon Buri District on the west bank of Chao Phraya River, in the neighbourhood known as Kudi Chin. It plays major role in education. A church was first built on the site, in the reign of king Taksin, which had been granted to a community of Portuguese Catholics, around 1770. It was then the main Catholic church in Bangkok, and served as the seat of the Apostolic Vicariate of Siam until 1821, when Assumption Cathedral was completed. The current building, in Renaissance Revival style, was built in 1913–1916 to replace a second structure from 1845.