The Convent of the Holy Infant Jesus was established in 1854 at Victoria Street by a group of Catholic nuns with the support of Father Jean-Marie Beurel, a French priest who was active in Singapore in the mid 19th century. Originally an orphanage and later a school for European and Eurasian girls, the convent was able to gradually expand its facilities with Beurel’s aid in acquiring surrounding properties and parcels of land. The first major structure built was a two-storey building completed in 1856 to serve as the orphanage. A Gothic-inspired chapel was constructed in 1903 and further extensions added in the early 1950s. The convent continued to operate until 1983 when it shifted out to enable the redevelopment of the site for commercial purposes. The chapel and some of the outlying buildings have been preserved, now known collectively as CHIJMES.
