PilgrimstaysWhen complete in 1847, the St Paul’s Cathedral, Kolkata, signalled the rise and consolidation of the British presence in India. An Anglican Cathedral by origin and now part of the Church of North India, it is considered the largest cathedral in Kolkata. Having set foot in India, primarily to trade in textiles and spices, the British focus soon turned to acquiring political power. Following their victory in the decisive Battle of Plassey in 1757, the English set about making Bengal the hub of their activities in India. It was in such a setting that the need for a cathedral arose to cater to the spiritual needs of the growing numbers of Europeans in what was then Calcutta. Until the completion of St Paul’s, it was St John’s Church that served as the Anglican Cathedral of Calcutta. St John’s Church was erected by the East India Company in 1787, soon after cementing their hold in the region. By the mid 1800s it had become too small to serve as the seat of the Anglican Diocese of Calcutta. In 1819, the architect Major William Forbes, was requested by the Governor-General of Bengal to come up with a design for a new cathedral. The design however was not accepted as the estimated cost of construction was considered too expensive. The initial plans were submitted during the time when Bishop Middleton held office. Soon Bishops Heber, James and Turner took over in quick succession but all died after brief tenures. It was not until Bishop Daniel Wilson assumed office in 1832, that plans for the cathedral finally made headway. Built in the Indo-Gothic style, meaning Gothic architecture adapted to meet the climatic conditions of India, this stately edifice remains one of the principal landmarks in Kolkata to this day. Rising to a height of 201 feet the central spire is modelled on the Canterbury Cathedral, the mother church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The tower on which the spire is mounted was fitted with five clocks, each of which weighed about three tons. A decorative reredo adorns the main altar, besides carvings depicting episodes from the life of St Paul, the Annunciation, the Adoration of the Magi and the Flight into Egypt, which were created by Sir Arthur Blomfield. Standing next to the main door of the cathedral is a marble bust of Reginald Heber, who was Bishop of Calcutta in 1827. Surprisingly, it was this bust that set in motion the events leading to the eventual building of the cathedral. When Heber’s bust was received from England, Bishop Wilson couldn’t find a suitable space to display it. In a proposal to Lord Auckland in 1839, Bishop Wilson wrote: “the new Cathedral should be upon a scale in some measure correspondent with the position we hold in India, whilst our existing Cathedral (St John’s) is mean, inappropriate and incommodious…” And that is how St Paul’s Cathedral, Kolkata saw the light of day.
An Anglican Cathedral by origin and now part of the Church of North India, it is considered the largest cathedral in Kolkata
St John’s Church was erected by the East India Company in 1787, soon after cementing their hold in the region
Built in the Indo-Gothic style, meaning Gothic architecture adapted to meet the climatic conditions of India, this stately edifice remains one of the principal landmarks in Kolkata to this day
When complete in 1847, the St Paul’s Cathedral, Kolkata, signalled the rise and consolidation of the British presence in India
The Canterbury-inspired tower of St Paul's Cathedral — rising above the Maidan trees, with the Victoria Memorial visible in the background — is one of the iconic images of colonial Calcutta. The Gothic facade, the proportions of the tower, and the setting in the Maidan create a visual statement about the Anglican ambition to build a cathedral worthy of the capital of British India.
The stained glass window by Edward Burne-Jones — the great Pre-Raphaelite artist whose windows transform medieval themes through a 19th-century aesthetic of luminous colour and stylised grace — is one of the finest works of art in Kolkata and one of the most important Burne-Jones windows in Asia. It should be seen in morning light.
The Gothic interior of St Paul's — with its vaulted nave, the memorial tablets to officers and administrators of British India, the carved wooden choir stalls, and the stained glass — is one of the finest ecclesiastical interiors in India. The quality of the materials and craftsmanship reflects the importance of Calcutta as the capital of the Raj.
The setting of St Paul's at the edge of the Maidan — the great open space of central Kolkata — with the Victoria Memorial visible across the park, places the cathedral in the heart of the colonial civic landscape. The juxtaposition of the Anglican cathedral and the Victorian Gothic of the Memorial creates the most complete imperial landscape in India.
The Diocese of Calcutta — founded in 1814 as the first Anglican diocese in Asia, with Thomas Fanshaw Middleton as the first bishop — is the mother diocese of the Anglican Church in India. The history of the diocese encompasses the missionary expansion of Anglicanism across the subcontinent, the formation of the CNI in 1970, and the continuing witness of the Church in West Bengal today.
Calcutta was the capital of the British Raj — the most important city in Asia for the British. They built a Gothic cathedral there to say: this is a Christian empire, and the church is its mother. The cathedral outlasted the empire. The diocese outlasted the Raj. The Burne-Jones window still catches the light. The empire is gone. The liturgy continues. The city that Mother Teresa chose — not London, not Rome, not New York, but Calcutta — is still full of the poor who are Christ in the distressing disguise of the poorest.
“But the Lord said to Ananias, Go! This man is my chosen instrument to proclaim my name to the Gentiles and their kings and to the people of Israel.”
Read in full on Bible Gateway →When complete in 1847, St Paul’s Cathedral, Kolkata, signalled the rise and consolidation of the British presence in India. An Anglican cathedral by origin, and now part of the Church of North India, it is considered the largest cathedral in Kolkata.
Having set foot in India primarily to trade in textiles and spices, the British focus soon turned to acquiring political power. Following their victory in the decisive Battle of Plassey in 1757, the English set about making Bengal the hub of their activities in India. It was in such a setting that the need for a cathedral arose, to cater to the spiritual needs of the growing numbers of Europeans in what was then Calcutta.
Until the completion of St Paul’s, it was St John’s Church that served as the Anglican Cathedral of Calcutta. St John’s Church was erected by the East India Company in 1787, soon after cementing their hold in the region. By the mid-1800s it had become too small to serve as the seat of the Anglican Diocese of Calcutta.
In 1819, the architect Major William Forbes was requested by the Governor-General of Bengal to come up with a design for a new cathedral. The design, however, was not accepted, as the estimated cost of construction was considered too expensive. The initial plans were submitted during the time when Bishop Middleton held office. Soon Bishops Heber, James and Turner took over in quick succession, but all died after brief tenures. It was not until Bishop Daniel Wilson assumed office in 1832 that plans for the cathedral finally made headway.
Built in the Indo-Gothic style — meaning Gothic architecture adapted to meet the climatic conditions of India — this stately edifice remains one of the principal landmarks in Kolkata to this day. Rising to a height of 201 feet, the central spire is modelled on Canterbury Cathedral, the mother church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The tower on which the spire is mounted was fitted with five clocks, each weighing about three tons. A decorative reredos adorns the main altar, besides carvings depicting episodes from the life of St Paul, the Annunciation, the Adoration of the Magi and the Flight into Egypt, which were created by Sir Arthur Blomfield.
Standing next to the main door of the cathedral is a marble bust of Reginald Heber, who was Bishop of Calcutta in 1827. Surprisingly, it was this bust that set in motion the events leading to the eventual building of the cathedral. When Heber’s bust was received from England, Bishop Wilson couldn’t find a suitable space to display it. In a proposal to Lord Auckland in 1839, Bishop Wilson wrote: “the new Cathedral should be upon a scale in some measure correspondent with the position we hold in India, whilst our existing Cathedral (St John’s) is mean, inappropriate and incommodious…” And that is how St Paul’s Cathedral, Kolkata, saw the light of day.
