Catholic Tourist

Historic Church · Malaysia

Sacred Heart Chapel, Sungai Bawan

Kanowit, Sarawak, Malaysia

Belian Timber ChapelDiocesan Pilgrimage CentreHistoric ChurchIban Catholic CommunityRemote AccessSarawak HeritageCatholic Malaysia collectionActive Catholic outstation of Kanowit Parish and Diocese of Sibu pilgrimage centre

Why pilgrims come

A sacred place worth the journey.

An 1898 belian-wood mission chapel beside Sungai Bawan, restored for continuing worship and designated a diocesan pilgrimage centre in 2025; its architecture and art carry generations of Iban Catholic memory.

TraditionCatholic

The pilgrim’s guide

What makes this visit meaningful

Visit through parish coordination and let the Iban community's living custodianship lead. The chapel remains worship space, heritage, and community memory—not just a mission artifact.

01

Belian timber chapel

Study vernacular construction adapted to heat, rain, and river life.

02

Iban Catholic continuity

Recognize the community that has prayed, restored, and interpreted the chapel.

03

Renewed pilgrimage centre

Understand the 2025 restoration as a new phase in an older sacred place.