Saint Johns Church Kolkata

The ‘city of joy’, the land of the famous ‘rosogolla’, the ‘cultural capital of India’, and a true wonder is the city of Kolkata, the erstwhile capital of the British Raj. A truly cosmopolitan city, in every sense of the term, Kolkata is a city that beautifully blends in its narrow streets, and choc-a-bloc residential areas an amazing blend of numerous people, each belonging to different cultures and following differing religious faiths. It is in Kolkata that one will find a Muslim, and a Hindu walking hand in hand, and Jains, Sikhs, Jews, and Christians co-existing peacefully. As such, each of these religions has its own holy pilgrimage and place of worship in Kolkata. One of the most famous churches here is the Saint Johns Church, Kolkata.

The Saint Johns Church, Kolkata, initially a cathedral, was one of the first public buildings to be raised by the East India Company after Kolkata began to operate as the capital of British India. Located on the Council House Street beside B.B.D. Bagh, the Saint Johns Church, Kolkata was designed by Lieutenant James Agg of the Bengal Engineers, based on James Gibbs' St. Martin-in the-Fields, London. The construction of the Saint Johns Church, Kolkata started on 6th April, 1874 and ended in 1884.

The Saint Johns Church, Kolkata, was constructed following the Greek architectural pattern, and was made entirely of stones obtained from Ganda, and Chunar, which led to the church being called 'The Stone Church'. The Saint Johns Church, Kolkata, is a treasure-house as far as the wonderful things inside it are concerned. One can discover various articles of interest in the church, such as –

  -  The octagonal mausoleum of Job Charnock, founder of Calcutta, who died in 1692
  -  A highly artistic sculpture of Job Charnock , set up by his son-in-law Sir Charles Ayar
  -  A replica of the Holwell Monument - originally erected at the site of the Black Hole of Calcutta
  -  Inside the church is the famous painting of The Last Supper by John Zoffany