The chairs will be used by Pope Francis at the interreligious dialogue session during his trip to Singapore.
Singaporean carpenter Govindharaj Muthiah with one of the chairs he made for Pope Francis to use during his visit to Singapore. One day, you’re dabbling in small furniture projects for family and friends from your workshop in Sembawang. The next, you’re approached to build two custom-made chairs for Pope Francis ’
"He paused for a while and said, ‘It’s for the Pope.’ I was like, ‘Sorry? Who?’ He : ‘For the Pope.’”, which is his longest trip away from the Vatican since he became head of the worldwide Catholic Church in 2013.includes meeting President Tharman Shanmugaratnam and Prime Minister Lawrence Wong, presiding over mass at the National Stadium, and holding an interreligious dialogue session with youth at Catholic Junior College.The chairs will be used during the interreligious dialogue.
When he eventually put pencil to paper, he wanted the final design to be “very vintage”, inspired by furniture from the 18th century. A"normal chair" was a no-go.The headboard of one chair was inspired by the distinctive frontage of the old Novena Church, also known as Church of St Alphonsus. It had three arches and a circular stained glass window.
“And surprisingly, now you see the emblem for the event is also placed there, it looks like the old Novena Church with the window at the centre.”Meanwhile, the base of the other chair was inspired by the facade of Basilica of San José de Flores, a catholic church located in Pope Francis’ birthplace of Buenos Aires, Argentina.The Pope's recent history of health issues, along with his current use of a wheelchair, meant ergonomics were also crucial in the design process.
"My sort of carpentry is very much a dying trade. I hope the younger generation doesn't forget this. Try to come and learn how repurposed wood is … I never waste anything in my workshop. I keep a lot of cut-off wood for my kids, because they come here every Saturday to build whatever they want, and I hope people can also come forward and do that as well," he added.
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