St. John's Church, Kolkata

St. John's Church, Kolkata
St. John's Church, Kolkata
Map
Location2/2, Council House St, opp. Dewars Garage, Lal Dighi, B.B.D. Bagh, Kolkata, West Bengal 700001
CountryIndia
Websitestjohnschurchcnikolkata.org
History
Former name(s)St. John's Cathedral, Calcutta
Architecture
Heritage designationProtected Monument ASI
Architect(s)James Agg
Years built1787
Specifications
Length180m
Width120m

St. John's Church, originally a cathedral, was among the first public buildings erected by the East India Company after Kolkata (Calcutta) became the effective capital of British India.[1] It is located at the North-Western corner of Raj Bhavan, and served as the Anglican Cathedral of Calcutta till 1847, when the see was transferred to St. Paul's Cathedral. Construction of the building, modelled on St Martin-in-the-Fields of London,[2] started in 1784, with Rs 30,000 raised through a public lottery,[3] and was completed in 1787. The land the church stands on was gifted by Maharaja Nabo Kishen Bahadur of Sobhabazar.[4] It is the third oldest church in the city, next to the Armenian Church of the Holy Nazareth and the Old Mission Church.[5]

  1. ^ Kolkata: Heritage Tour: Religious Buildings: St. John's Church, kolkatainformation.com (archived version). Retrieved 13 May 2018.
  2. ^ Das, Soumitra (22 June 2008). "Gour to St. John's". The Telegraph. Archived from the original on 5 May 2015. Retrieved 24 January 2012.
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference Samhita was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ "Church organ falls silent". www.telegraphindia.com. Archived from the original on 27 September 2022. Retrieved 13 April 2020.
  5. ^ Roy, Nishitranjan,Swasato Kolkata Ingrej Amaler Sthapathya, (in Bengali), pp. 24, 1st edition, 1988, Prtikhan Press Pvt. Ltd.