Wat Sanpaolo วัดสันเปาโล - The First Observatory in Thailand - Lopburi 2023

Wat Sanpaolo วัดสันเปาโล

September 1685 the first of Louis XIV “great embassies” arrived in Siam. In the delegation of court officials were six Jesuit priests trained in the latest mathematics and astronomy. The Royal Academy of Paris had equipped them with thermometers, barometers, quadrants, orreries, compasses, clocks and a variety of telescopes ranging up to 24 metres in length.

The French ambassadors and the Jesuit astronomers followed the king to Lop Buri where the Jesuits prepared to observe a lunar eclipse predicted for the 11th December.

Following the great success of the 1685 observations King Narai was readily persuaded to erect an observatory building similar to that in Paris. Furthermore, when just a few days later the French ambassadors embarked for the return journey to France he wrote a letter to King Louis XIV inviting him to send more Jesuit missionary-astronomers. King Louis XIV obliged by sending sixteen new Jesuits to Siam, these arriving in late September 1687. On their arrival they were greeted by the original Jesuit contingent and at Lop Buri they admired the newly constructed Wat San Paulo observatory.

Another lunar eclipse was predicted for 16th April 1688 which King Narai, who had been seriously ill since February, observed from his Lop Buri palace. The Jesuit astronomers made their observations from Wat San Paulo which turned out to be the only time the observatory was used.

Less than three weeks after the partial eclipse King Narai was dead, possibly hurried to his grave by poison, and his chief minister Phetracha took the throne whilst disposing ruthlessly of all opponents. Under this new regime the French were expelled from Siam and it would be two hundred years before relations with Europe would again reach the same level.

The history of this building is part of Thai science and is well worth a short visit to see. There isn’t much left of the original observation tower but it would’ve been an amazing sight when it was new.

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