People of Kolkata, do you want to know how erstwhile Calcutta was? For that you have to bring all the building blocks together to make it a complete piece. And one such important block in Calcutta's history is the St. John's Church.
Located near Lalbazar in BBD Bagh, St John's Church is the third oldest and one of the most beautiful churches in Kolkata. It served as the Anglican Cathedral of Calcutta up until 1847, when it was transferred to St Paul's Cathedral. St John's was built way back in 1787. That makes it a whopping 133 years old!
Revisit the pages of history since the church has a lot of intriguing stories attached to it. Did you know? The church is modelled on the St Martin-in-the-Fields of London and was designed by James Agg.
The church was built with a combination of brick and stone, and was commonly referred to as the 'Pathure Girja' (Stone Church). Since stone was a rare material in late 18th century Kolkata, they were shipped from the medieval ruins of Gour. Made in the Neoclassical architectural style, the church's most distinctive feature is a 174-ft tall stone spire, which holds a giant clock.
Tall columns, a stately portico and large windows characterise the interiors of the church. The blue grey coloured marble floor adds to the architecture of the space, and looks exquisite when the sunlight comes through the large windows. This place is perfect for a family visit, and you can take your family here for an early Sunday morning mass. And if you are an admirer of art, to the left of the main altar hangs a rendition of the famous Da Vinci painting The Last Supper, drawn by a British artist of German origin named Johann Zoffany.
