St. Paul's Cathedral, Kolkata
Encyclopedia
St. Paul's Cathedral is an Anglican cathedral
of the Church of North India
- a united church which is part of the Anglican Communion
- in Kolkata
, West Bengal
, India
. It is the seat of the Diocese of Calcutta
, and the incumbent bishop is the Rt. Revd. Ashoke Biswas.
The building itself stands on the "island of attractions" in Kolkata - beside the Victoria Memorial, Nandan
, Rabindra Sadan
theatre complex, and the Birla Planetarium
.
in 1839 and was completed in 1847, in Gothic Revival style
with stained glass windows and two fresco
es in Florentine Renaissance
style. A military engineer, Major William Nairn Forbes, designed the cathedral with the assistance of C.K. Robinson, modelling the tower and spire upon the Norwich Cathedral
. The tower was rebuilt along the lines of Bell Harry Tower in Canterbury Cathedral
following the 1934 Calcutta earthquake. The Bishop's House across the street is also architecturally notable. St. Paul’s was consecrated in 1874.
Cathedral
A cathedral is a Christian church that contains the seat of a bishop...
of the Church of North India
Church of North India
The Church of North India , the dominant Protestant denomination in northern India, is a united church established on 29 November 1970 by bringing together the main Protestant churches working in northern India...
- a united church which is part of the Anglican Communion
Anglican Communion
The Anglican Communion is an international association of national and regional Anglican churches in full communion with the Church of England and specifically with its principal primate, the Archbishop of Canterbury...
- in Kolkata
Kolkata
Kolkata , formerly known as Calcutta, is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal. Located on the east bank of the Hooghly River, it was the commercial capital of East India...
, West Bengal
West Bengal
West Bengal is a state in the eastern region of India and is the nation's fourth-most populous. It is also the seventh-most populous sub-national entity in the world, with over 91 million inhabitants. A major agricultural producer, West Bengal is the sixth-largest contributor to India's GDP...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. It is the seat of the Diocese of Calcutta
Bishop of Calcutta
The Bishop of Calcutta exercises episcopal leadership over the Diocese of Calcutta of the Church of North India. The diocese was established in 1813 as part of the Church of England and the first bishop was Thomas Fanshawe Middleton and the second Reginald Heber...
, and the incumbent bishop is the Rt. Revd. Ashoke Biswas.
The building itself stands on the "island of attractions" in Kolkata - beside the Victoria Memorial, Nandan
Nandan (Kolkata)
Nandan is a government sponsored centre in Calcutta, India for facilitating film awareness and includes a few comparatively large screens housed in an impressively architectured building. It shares its site with the Rabindra Sadan cultural centre. The complex, besides being a modern cinema and...
, Rabindra Sadan
Rabindra Sadan
Rabindra Sadan is a cultural centre and theatre in Calcutta, located near the Nandan cinema and cultural complex and the Academy of Fine Arts on AJC Bose Road in South Kolkata. Construction began on 5 August 1961 and ended October 1967...
theatre complex, and the Birla Planetarium
Birla Planetarium, Kolkata
The Birla Planetarium in Kolkata is a single-storeyed circular structure designed in the typical Indian style, whose architecture is loosely styled on the Buddhist stupa at Sarnath. Situated at Chowringhee Road adjacent to the Victoria Memorial, St Paul's Cathedral, and the maidan in south Kolkata,...
.
Construction
The building was initiated by Bishop Daniel WilsonDaniel Wilson, Bishop of Calcutta
Daniel Wilson, Bishop of Calcutta , born in Spitalfields, London, 2 July 1778, died in Calcutta, 2 January 1858.He was educated at St Edmund Hall, Oxford ; was ordained, and became curate of Richard Cecil at Cobham and Bisley in Surrey, where he developed into a strong Evangelical preacher; was...
in 1839 and was completed in 1847, in Gothic Revival style
Gothic Revival architecture
The Gothic Revival is an architectural movement that began in the 1740s in England...
with stained glass windows and two fresco
Fresco
Fresco is any of several related mural painting types, executed on plaster on walls or ceilings. The word fresco comes from the Greek word affresca which derives from the Latin word for "fresh". Frescoes first developed in the ancient world and continued to be popular through the Renaissance...
es in Florentine Renaissance
Italian Renaissance
The Italian Renaissance began the opening phase of the Renaissance, a period of great cultural change and achievement in Europe that spanned the period from the end of the 13th century to about 1600, marking the transition between Medieval and Early Modern Europe...
style. A military engineer, Major William Nairn Forbes, designed the cathedral with the assistance of C.K. Robinson, modelling the tower and spire upon the Norwich Cathedral
Norwich Cathedral
Norwich Cathedral is a cathedral located in Norwich, Norfolk, dedicated to the Holy and Undivided Trinity. Formerly a Catholic church, it has belonged to the Church of England since the English Reformation....
. The tower was rebuilt along the lines of Bell Harry Tower in Canterbury Cathedral
Canterbury Cathedral
Canterbury Cathedral in Canterbury, Kent, is one of the oldest and most famous Christian structures in England and forms part of a World Heritage Site....
following the 1934 Calcutta earthquake. The Bishop's House across the street is also architecturally notable. St. Paul’s was consecrated in 1874.
Architecture
The cathedral conforms to the Neo-Gothic or the Gothic Revival style of architecture that was greatly patronized by the British during the days of the colonial era. The main cathedral hall is large, with beautifully carved wooden pews and chairs along with the stained glass window to the west, the intricate coloured artwork covering the eastern walls, the two marvellous Florentine frescoes. The church is 247 ft. in length and 81 ft. in width and the tower is 201 ft. high. The Cathedral is set within huge grounds with several ancient trees. There is a small meditation spot on the grounds, set up recently in collaboration with distinguished citizens of Tagore's Shantiniketan. The interior of the church is a feast for the eyes, with excellent floral designs on the walls. Beautiful architecture and exquisite mural painting captivates the beholder. The life and work of St. Paul is vividly described in pictures. Bishop Wilson lies in his eternal slumber in a coffin inside an underground chamber. The commission plate conferred on him by Queen Victoria is still exhibited here. The ambience of the church is very soothing and tranquil.Burials
- Arthur William GarnettArthur William Garnett-Life:Arthur William, the younger son of William Garnett of Westmoreland, inspector-general of inland revenue, was born 1 June 1829, and educated at Addiscombe College, where he obtained his first commission in 1846, and proceeded to India in 1848 as a lieutenant of the Bengal engineers...
, the English engineer who died in India in 1861. - T. F. MiddletonT. F. MiddletonThomas Fanshawe Middleton was a noted Anglican bishop.-Life:He was born in Kedleston in Derbyshire, England, the son of Thomas Middleton, Rector of Kedleston and educated at Christs Hospital. He then went up to Pembroke College, Cambridge, and on graduation was ordained in the Church of England...
, first Bishop of CalcuttaBishop of CalcuttaThe Bishop of Calcutta exercises episcopal leadership over the Diocese of Calcutta of the Church of North India. The diocese was established in 1813 as part of the Church of England and the first bishop was Thomas Fanshawe Middleton and the second Reginald Heber...
(1814-1822)