Early Churches of Kolkata

January 24, 2022

The Church of St Anne, built next to the old Fort William (inaugurated on 31^st Dec1699) during the early establishment of East India company in Kolkata and was the only available place of worship for the colonizers then. It was consecrated on June 5, 1709 but was reduced to ruins by 1722 due to lack of maintenance and unstable political conditions. A lightening further damaged the structure in 1724 and was reduced to rubbles by the invading Moghul troops.

Old Fort William Church

Later, the site of the demolished church and the adjoining plot were granted to Thomas Lyon in 1776 (during the Governorship of Warren Hastings) to construct buildings to accommodate the junior servants of the East India Company or the writers. Writers’ Building was the first three-storey building in Calcutta having undergone several extensions and renovations till date.

Robert Clive succeeded in defeating Siraj-ud-Daula and gained control over Calcutta in 1757. Subsequently East India Company opened a public donation to build the St. John’s Church, 1 Km away from the St Anne Church.

Today the church stands at the north-western corner of Raj Bhavan. The land was the property of Maharaja Naba Krishna Bahadur of Sovabazar Rajbari who donated it to Warren Hastings, the Governor-General of Calcutta. Later the land was used as burial ground. During the construction of the Church all the graves were dug up only those of Job Charnock and Admiral Watson remains. The foundation stone of the church was laid on April 6, 1784, by Warren Hastings. Military engineer James Agg was the architect who designed the church in Neo-classical style similar to St. Martin’s-in-the-field, London. The church was called “Pathure Girja” due to the use of stones, a rarerity at that time.

The construction was completed in 1787 and St John’s Church served as the Anglican Cathedral of Calcutta till 1847 when it was transferred to St. Paul’s Cathedral. Notable structures include Memorial of James Achilles Kirkpatrick, the White Mughal, Memorial to James Pattle and his wife, Zoffany’s painting of the Last Supper, Job Charnock’s Tomb, Black Hole monument, Rohilla war memorial, Lady Canning Memorial, Frances (Begum) Johnson’s grave.

Important construction dates within the premises:

1695- Mausoleum of Job Charnock built by his son-in-law Charles Iyer. This is said to be the oldest standing structure of Kolkata. Charnock’s eldest and youngest daughters were also buried here. A black stone memorial now preserved by GSI was brought from Chennai and named as Charnockite. The memorial is written in Latin

1707- A hospital

1800s – Commercial library and Rohilla War Memorial

1768- First Anglican Cemetery now moved to South Park Street Cemetery

1822- First Bishop of the Cathedral was buried here those this is not accepted by the Church.

1914- Black hole monument moved in piece by piece

1942- Severely damaged during Japanese war

Pictures from https://www.taleof2backpackers.com/st-johns-church-kolkata/

The St. Paul's Cathedral Church was built to provide service for the growing European population in Calcutta in the 1800s. St. Paul's Cathedral Church located at 1A, Cathedral Rd, Kolkata is renowned for its history, architectural grandeur, culture and religious relevance.
The foundation stone was laid in 1839 while its construction was completed in 1847.This church is the largest one in Kolkata and bears resemblance to the Norwich Cathedral of England. The cathedral’s tower is modeled on the “Bell Harry” tower of Canterbury Cathedral.
Following the 1897 and 1934 earthquakes the cathedral underwent massive damages and was renovated to the current design.
The church is one of the finest monuments built in Indo-Gothic architecture (Gothic revival style). It is under the denomination of the Church of North India (Anglican) being acknowledged as the first Episcopal Church of the eastern world and is the seat of the Diocese of Calcutta. It was designed by the famous English architect Major William Nairn Forbes. The grand pillars, arches, porches, stained glass windows, majestic altar and the serene ambience keeps a visitor in awe.
The interiors of the church display photograph, plaques, posters and other documents relating to the life of St. Paul and his pious deeds. Photography is strictly prohibited within the church. A library above the western porch has a collection of Bishop Wilson’s books and a marble bust of the Bishop. The midnight mass on Christmas Eve bears immense historical and religious significance.