St. John's Church Campus (Kolkata)

India / Bangla / Barabazar / Kolkata
 church, monument
St. John's is the 2nd oldest church in KOLKATA. Behind this church is the octagonal mausoleum of Job Charnock, who died in 1692, only two years after founding the British settlement in Calcutta, now KOLKATA.
St John's Church - the city's first cathedral and third-oldest church - has the dubious distinction of being the only nationally protected monument to which Archeological Survey of India (ASI) has no access.

The church in Dalhousie that served as Kolkata's Anglican Cathedral between 1787 and 1847 when it was transferred to St Paul's Cathedral is in crying need of renovation. Signs of decay are writ large all over the church. The plaster is peeling off the walls. A large section of the roof and the walls are vulnerable. The stable to the left of the drive-way is in a shambles. The assessment was done two years ago by ASI officials in the guise of tourists as they would otherwise be denied entry to the monument.

"The church is much older than Victoria Memorial Hall and is made up of much older materials - sandstone plundered from the ruins of Gour, the ancient archaeological site near Malda. It, therefore, needs care. An earlier attempt to restore the monument was faulty. The use of mismatch in material accelerated the decay," an ASI official said.

While the church authorities appeared to question the legitimacy of ASI's role at St John's Church and has allegedly spread rumours about an attempt to usurp the prized property, ASI has in turn alleged that vested interest of a section of church officials has led to piquant situation. ASI is now contemplating legal action to gain access to the monument.

"ASI's only interest is to protect the monument and has been taking care of hundreds of living religious places belonging to various faiths. Rarely have we faced such a situation when ASI officials are barred from entering. St John's Church officials have spread the rumour that ASI, if allowed access, will take over the church. That is completely baseless," said ASI regional director (east) P K Mishra.
Nearby cities:
Coordinates:   22°34'12"N   88°20'45"E

Comments

  • Here lies the body of JOB CHARNOCK, founder of the city of KOLKATA (Calcutta).
  • St John's Church, originally Calcutta's cathedral church. It was built in the 1780s to commemorate the victims of the First Afghan War. The plan was adapted from London's St. Martin-in-the-Fields, but the spire was shortened to minimize weight on the soft ground. (Such details, and many more, can be found in Philip Davies' unfortunately scarce Penguin Guide to the Monuments of India, Volume II: Islamic, Rajput, European, 1989.) On one side of the church is this monument to Emily Canning, wife of "Clemency" Canning, who wasn't sufficiently punitive, it seems, in dealing with the mutineers of 1857. Emily Canning's grave is actually in Barrackpore, upriver a dozen miles. Emily Canning's name in bourne yet today on a sweet, the Ledi Kenny, which she adored so much.
This article was last modified 7 years ago