St. Paul's Cathedral, Kolkata

St. Paul's Cathedral
North façade of the St. Paul's Cathedral, Kolkata
St. Paul's Cathedral is located in West Bengal
St. Paul's Cathedral
St. Paul's Cathedral
22°32′39″N 88°20′48″E / 22.54417°N 88.34667°E / 22.54417; 88.34667
Location1A, Cathedral Road, Kolkata – 71
CountryIndia
DenominationAnglican (Church of North India)
History
StatusCathedral
Founded1847
Founder(s)Bishop Daniel Wilson
DedicationPaul the Apostle
Architecture
Functional statusActive
Designated1847
Architect(s)William Nairn Forbes, C. K. Robinson
Architectural typeAisleless church
StyleIndo-Gothic, Gothic Revival
Groundbreaking1839
Completed1847
Construction costRs. 4,35,669
Specifications
Length247 feet (75 m)
Width81 feet (25 m)
Spire height201 feet (61 m)
MaterialsSpecial bricks, steel trusses, and fine lime plaster
Administration
DioceseDiocese of Calcutta
Clergy
Bishop(s)The Rt. Revd. Dr. Paritosh Canning
Priest in chargeRevd. Abir Adhikari (February 2018- present)
Assistant priest(s)Revd. Dr. Joel Patrick (April 2022- present) Revd. Asa Kiran Parichha (2022 - Present)
Laity
Director of musicMr. George Sudeep Pande
Organist(s)Mr. George Sudeep Pande, Mr. Shreejit Saha
Music group(s)St. Paul's Cathedral Choir
Servers' guildSt. Paul's Cathedral Server's Guild

St. Paul's Cathedral is a Church of North India (CNI) cathedral of Anglican background in Kolkata, West Bengal, India, noted for its Gothic architecture and dedicated to Paul the Apostle. It is the seat of the Diocese of Calcutta. The cornerstone was laid in 1839; the building was completed in 1847.[1] It is said to be the largest church in Kolkata and the first Anglican cathedral in Asia.[2][3] It was also the first new-built cathedral in the overseas territory of the British Empire. The edifice stands on Cathedral Road on the "island of attractions," the site chosen in order to provide for more space for the growing population of the European community in Calcutta in the 1800s.

The architectural design of the cathedral is "Indo-Gothic", a Gothic architectural style designed to meet the climate of India. Following the 1897 earthquake and the subsequent massive earthquake of 1934, when Calcutta suffered substantial damage, the cathedral was reconstructed to a revised design. The cathedral complex has a library, situated over the western porch, and a display of plastic art forms and memorabilia.

Apart from that of Bishop Daniel Wilson, the founder of the cathedral, the other notable burial in the church is that of John Paxton Norman, an acting Chief Justice who was assassinated on the steps of Kolkata Town Hall in 1871.

  1. ^ "Bishops of our Diocese". Ashoke Biswas (Bishop of Calcutta), CNI 2008 – till date. Diocese of Calcutta CNI. Archived from the original on 1 March 2016. Retrieved 8 January 2016.
  2. ^ "St. Paul's Cathedral- Asia's First Episcopal Church". Oursamyatra. 30 July 2017. Retrieved 30 December 2019.
  3. ^ "Church of the Province of South East Asia". Episcopal Church. Retrieved 30 December 2019.