St. Paul’s Cathedral: Truly Ethereal

Joydip Sur

Calcutta during the late 1830s was a completely different place. The Raj had already assumed supreme control over India and the new generation of Britishers was moving into positions of higher authority in India. With the Lawrences, the Dalhousie and the Thomasons assuming positions of power came not only a Christian sense of duty in running India, but also a new, revised attitude about the future prospects. If India was to be converted, a suitable cathedral must serve as a shining example in the capital of British India.

St. John’s Church situated in Council House Street was deemed too inadequate for the city’s growing European population.

A new cathedral was first planned as far back as 1819, but the First Burmese War of 1824-26, which ended up costing far more than it was anticipated, delayed the construction of the cathedral.

Bishop Daniel Wilson laid the foundation stone of St. Paul’s Cathedral on October 8, 1839. The Bishop himself put up a vast amount of money for the building, combined with funds from John Company and a large number of subscribers both in India and abroad, which included eminent religionist such as John Henry Newman and Dr. Pusey. St. Paul’s Cathedral was consecrated on October 8, 1847.

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. Consecutive earthquakes in 1897 and 1934 completely damaged the tower and it was rebuilt along the lines of Bell Harry Tower in Canterbury Cathedral.

The interior of the church is a feast for the eyes, with excellent floral designs on the walls. Beautiful architecture and exquisite mural painting is sure to captivate the beholder. 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 and the two marvellous Florentine frescoes are bound to leave you awestruck.

The reredos panels, above the altar, are mosaics by Arthur Blomfeld. Several of the stained glass panels in the west window are by Sir Edward Burne-Jones, in his classic Pre-Raphaelite style. They are a memorial to Lord Mayo, the viceroy, who was assassinated at Port Blair in the Andaman Islands in 1872.

The life and work of St. Paul is vividly described in pictures that are displayed inside the church. Bishop Daniel 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.

The church is 247 ft. in length and 81 ft. in width and the tower is 201 ft. high. The church is set within a huge ground surrounded by several rare and ancient trees. Since 1970, St. Paul’s Cathedral has served as the Mother Church, Diocese of Calcutta, Church of North India.

When one stands before the marble structure set smack in the heart of the city, the admirer is transported to William Dalrymple’s world of Xanadu. Such majestic is the edifice that it holds you in breathtaking awe of an era gone by.  A true jewel from the Raj era.

St. Paul’s Cathedral
Visiting Hours – 9 am to 12 pm and 3 pm to 6 pm
Photography Prohibited inside the cathedral without permission.
No entry fee