Travel Like The Wind : Suchart Choolee
A small traditional Thai house stands amidst lush greenery. This modest wooden pavilion, though simple in structure, is imbued with the atmosphere of time and faith. Inside, a statue of Saint Peter is enshrined, silently watching over the place — a spiritual anchor for passersby. This small sanctuary stands before the Benedictine Church, a quiet place of worship in the heart of Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya. It represents a fragment of a much greater narrative — a story of journeys, encounters, and the deep-rooted planting of Western culture in the Far East.
The story began nearly five centuries ago. This area was once dense forest until, in 1984, the Fine Arts Department surveyed the site and unearthed the ruins of San Pedro Catholic Church — once a thriving center of worship. The architecture marks the roots of the Portuguese community during the reign of King Chairacha, a time when the Ayutthaya Kingdom flourished through trade and wealth.
In the area known as the “Portuguese Village,” more than 200 human skeletons have been excavated. Once believed to be casualties of war, historical records later confirmed that these people died from smallpox — a deadly disease that, by the end of King Thai Sa’s reign, was claiming up to 1,000 lives per day.
Today, only the brick foundations of the original church and cemetery remain, embedded deep within the soil. Many of the skeletons were severely damaged by the massive flood of 2011. As a result, the Fine Arts Department created resin replicas and preserved the original remains in the Chao Sam Phraya National Museum.
The history of the Portuguese village is deeply intertwined with the early maritime explorations of the 16th century. Europe had entered the Age of Discovery. Columbus discovered the Americas. Portugal and Spain became fierce rivals in the quest for colonial expansion, prompting Pope Alexander VI to issue a decree dividing the world into two hemispheres — the East to Portugal and the West to Spain. Both nations were granted the right to “spread the word of God” to the new lands they encountered.
Afonso de Albuquerque, the Portuguese viceroy, conquered Goa in 1509. That same year, he sent Duarte Fernandes as an envoy to King Ramathibodi II of Ayutthaya. This marked the beginning of diplomatic relations between Siam and Portugal — a friendship not born of conquest, but of a choice not to be enemies.
Portugal asked only for the opportunity to trade, exchange culture, and spread religion — not to colonize, as they had done elsewhere. Some Portuguese became merchants; others, mercenaries who served and died for the Ayutthaya court. They were granted land and allowed to settle along the western bank of the Chao Phraya River — in what later became known as the “Portuguese Village.”
Yet the story of this village remains shrouded in mystery. The ruins of the church, long believed to belong to the Dominican order, may have actually been a Jesuit church. This is suggested by records of Father G.F. De Marini, who had traveled to care for Japanese Christians fleeing persecution in their homeland — finding refuge in Ayutthaya, the only kingdom in the region that welcomed people of all faiths without prejudice.
The truth still lies hidden beneath the soil, under the shade of trees, in the silence of the Thai-style wooden pavilion where Saint Peter stands. This structure, built by Thai-Vietnamese Catholics who remain devoted to God, serves as a quiet guardian of the past. Nearby stands a replica of the original church. Today, only seven houses remain in what was once a thriving village.
The story of the Portuguese Village is more than a historical record. This is a lesson in coexistence — a reminder that even in a world marked by war, greed, and colonization, there once existed a place where difference was welcomed with kindness. A space where the cross represented not dominance, but openness.
The small Thai house in front of the Benedictine Church may seem quiet and solitary. Yet within these wooden walls lives a story of faith, of cross-cultural relationships, and of civilizations that once met along the banks of the Chao Phraya — a river that, like time, never ceases to flow. And the story continues — endlessly.
Suggested Citation (for academic or reference use)
Fine Arts Department of Thailand. (1984). Archaeological Survey Report: Portuguese Village, Ayutthaya.
Boxer, C. R. (1969). The Portuguese Seaborne Empire, 1415–1825. Hutchinson.
Lach, Donald F. (1965). Asia in the Making of Europe, Volume I. University of Chicago Press.
National Museum Bangkok. (n.d.). Exhibit Notes: The Portuguese in Ayutthaya.
Vatican Archives. (1493). Inter caetera Papal Bull, Pope Alexander VI.
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