St. Paul's Cathedral | |
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![]() North façade of the St. Paul's Cathedral, Kolkata | |
22°32′39″N 88°20′48″E / 22.54417°N 88.34667°E | |
Location | 1A, Cathedral Road, Kolkata – 71 |
Country | India |
Denomination | Anglican (Church of North India) |
History | |
Status | Cathedral |
Founded | 1847 |
Founder(s) | Bishop Daniel Wilson |
Dedication | Paul the Apostle |
Architecture | |
Functional status | Active |
Designated | 1847 |
Architect(s) | William Nairn Forbes, C. K. Robinson |
Architectural type | Aisleless church |
Style | Indo-Gothic, Gothic Revival |
Groundbreaking | 1839 |
Completed | 1847 |
Construction cost | Rs. 4,35,669 |
Specifications | |
Length | 247 feet (75 m) |
Width | 81 feet (25 m) |
Spire height | 201 feet (61 m) |
Materials | Special bricks, steel trusses, and fine lime plaster |
Administration | |
Diocese | Diocese of Calcutta |
Clergy | |
Bishop(s) | The Rt. Revd. Dr. Paritosh Canning |
Priest in charge | Revd. Abir Adhikari (February 2018- present) |
Assistant priest(s) | Revd. Dr. Joel Patrick (April 2022- present) Revd. Asa Kiran Parichha (2022 - Present) |
Laity | |
Director of music | Mr. George Sudeep Pande |
Organist(s) | Mr. George Sudeep Pande, Mr. Shreejit Saha |
Music group(s) | St. Paul's Cathedral Choir |
Servers' guild | St. Paul's Cathedral Server's Guild |
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St. Paul's Cathedral is a Church of North India (CNI) cathedral of Anglican background in Kolkata, West Bengal, India, noted for its Gothic architecture and dedicated to Paul the Apostle. It is the seat of the Diocese of Calcutta. The cornerstone was laid in 1839; the building was completed in 1847.[1] It is said to be the largest church in Kolkata and the first Anglican cathedral in Asia.[2][3] It was also the first new-built cathedral in the overseas territory of the British Empire. The edifice stands on Cathedral Road on the "island of attractions," the site chosen in order to provide for more space for the growing population of the European community in Calcutta in the 1800s.
The architectural design of the cathedral is "Indo-Gothic", a Gothic architectural style designed to meet the climate of India. Following the 1897 earthquake and the subsequent massive earthquake of 1934, when Calcutta suffered substantial damage, the cathedral was reconstructed to a revised design. The cathedral complex has a library, situated over the western porch, and a display of plastic art forms and memorabilia.
Apart from that of Bishop Daniel Wilson, the founder of the cathedral, the other notable burial in the church is that of John Paxton Norman, an acting Chief Justice who was assassinated on the steps of Kolkata Town Hall in 1871.