St. John's Church

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 and the Old Mission Church. HISTORY AND ARCHITECTURE The land for the St. John's Church was donated by the Maharaja Nabo Kishen Bahadur, the founder of the Shovabazar Raj Family. The foundation stone was laid by Warren Hastings, the Governor General of India on 6 April 1784. Two marble plaques at the entrance mark the two historic events. Built by architect James Agg, the St John's church is built with a combination of brick and stone and was commonly known as the "Pathure Girja" (Stone Church). Stone was a rare material in the late 18th century Kolkata. The stones came from the medieval ruins of Gour, and were shipped down the Hooghly River. The minutes book in the church office tell in detail the story of how the ruins of Gaur were robbed to build St John's church. The church is a large square structure in the Neoclassical architectural style. A stone spire 174 ft tall is its most distinctive feature. The spire holds a giant clock, which is wound every day. One of the driving forces behind the construction of the cathedral was Chaplain William Johnson, the husband of Begum Johnson."Chapter 7" . Calcutta: Past and Present – via Wikisource.

The church is a soothing place to calm ur soul and mind. Irrespective of any religion everyone visits a church. I am one of them , I like visiting churches since childhood. This church is so big, it is spread on a very large area and its tall as well. Must visit at least once . The interior is cool, calm and beautiful. Once u go there ur soul can relax without any worry. I personally felt so connected to god there. I clicked pictures bcz I had the pass for it . This place is amazing and one of the best churches I have been to . Many people visit it during the vacation.

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. 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, started in 1784, with Rs 30,000 raised through a public lottery, and was completed in 1787. It is the third oldest church in the city, next to the Armenian and the Old Mission Church.

St John's Church is one of the oldest churches in Kolkata that was built during the reign of the British Kingdom when the city was the capital of British India. The church served as Anglican Cathedral till St. Paul's Cathedral was made the Anglican cathedral in 1847. It is a splendidly well-maintained structure that draws history and architecture buffs for its uniqueness and ancient features. One may notice the unique tall features of St John's Church which is a characteristic part of the neoclassical architecture. The colour scheme and the stained glass windows add to the character of the structure. The church maintains utmost silence to allow the visitors to sit in peace for at least a moment.

The place of many historic monuments of British Indian era. The war monuments like infamous Black Hole Monument, Rohilla War Memorial. The adjacent graveyard had graves of some famous persons of the same era like lady Canning, Admiral Charles Watson, Lord Brabourne, etc. The place is well-maintained. However, the presence of a car parking in the very adjacent location is not good looking and does not go with the gravity of the place.