Besides having an attraction in terms of natural tourism, Probolinggo City also has historical religious attractions. One of them is the Red Church in Probolinggo, East Java.

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The Red Church in Probolinggo (Photo: probolinggo.jatimnetwork.com)

"In Probolinggo there is religious tourism, called the Red Church. There are only two of these churches in the world, the other one is in the Netherlands," Probolinggo Mayor Hadi Zainal Abidin told Kompas.com in Jakarta, on Wednesday (30/8/2023).

The Red Church is a Dutch heritage building

Today, the Red Church is also known as the Immanuel Congregational Protestant Church (GPIB). The location is on Jalan Suroyo Number 32, Tisnonegaran, Kaniagaran District, Probolinggo City, East Java.

Quoted from the official website of Kaniagaran District, Probolinggo City, the Red Church is a Dutch heritage building that is still well maintained.

Also, read: Exciting Traveling at Bahak Indah Tongas Beach Probolinggo, a Proud Form of Traveling in Indonesia.

The Red Church was built by Pastor Pati Rajawane during the Dutch colonial era led by Regent Meijer (First Regent of Probolinggo) in 1862.

The church was built using steel construction with red outer ornaments. The choice of red color contains a philosophy for church members as the spilled blood of Jesus Christ saves the sins of mankind.

Quoted from the Surabaya Tribun page, currently, the Red Church has become a cultural heritage and is one of the religious tourism objects in Probolinggo City. Meanwhile, a similar Red Church in The Hague, Netherlands, has now been converted into a bar.

If you have the opportunity to enter the Red Church, tourists will meet ancient gospels. Not only that, the construction of the inside of the building still looks classic. This can be seen from the pulpit of the church which is shaped like a goblet, then there is a baptismal cup made of iron.

Seeing the uniqueness of this ancient building construction, it is not surprising that the Red Church has become an icon of historical tourism as well as religious tourism for tourists who come to Probolinggo.