Michael LyonsPuri Brata is a sanctuary located about 3 miles from South Beach, Yogyakarta in Central Java. It’s the perfect place to connect with our creator. Thomas Aquino Rohadi is it’s founder. Father Rohadi is now the pastor of our church in Jakarta Timur.
Puri Brata rents spacious, quaint rooms with all the basics necessary for a peaceful night’s sleep. If you’re looking for a swimming pool for a family outing, this is not the place for you. Vines, ferns, and tropical foliage cover the grounds. There is always a bench or even desk around for meditation and notes. It feels like you’ve discovered something remote, like Machu Picchu. The architecture is typical Javanese. Their roofs are distinct—think Pizza Hut logo (I wonder if there’s a connection?).
The chapel has the best sculpture of Christ I’ve seen. Some Javanese Christians believe Christ was Javanese. That isn’t odd to me, after all, Europeans think he was white. Mary too. In reality, He spoke Aramaic and had dark skin. And, Mary was from Nazareth, not Paris. You shouldn’t need scripture to figure that one out.
The room we got cost about $40.00 but included breakfast, which was really good. There’s a museum like area that has Javanese history and some cool antiques and retro vehicles, like a CJ2 jeep and vintage bicycles. Pastor Rohadi likes antiques. At the church in Jakarta, he has a 1952 BMW motorcycle.
Puri Brata is the perfect place if you want to write or just be alone. It is what silence sounds like.
