The oldest church in Delhi is the St James'.
Though Christianity came to South India through Kerala, soon after the death of Jesus, North India had just a glimpse of this major religion. Though the Portuguese, French, Dutch and even the English had been in the subcontinent from the time of Akbar, the Mughal capital had no church until the Mughal power was practically non-existent.
Built in Old Delhi by Col. James Skinner, an Anglo Indian,(who has a memorial plaque to his name in the floor of the church) very close to the Residence of the Resident Ochterlony(now in Ambedkar university), and just inside the Kashmiri gate of the fort.The popular story goes that Skinner was lying injured on a battlefield in 1800, and promised to build a church if he lived. The initial cost was around Rs 95,000 is what is believed.
The design is supposed to have been based off of Ochterlony's tomb, that he had built for himself. The church was built in 1836, and was in use till 1857, even managing to convert some locals, like Dr Chimmun Lal and a Delhi University professor. However, they were killed in 1857 for their conversion.
Also listed on the walls of the Church are Padre Jennings, the Padre at the church from 1852. A large proportion of the plaques are for those who died in the 1857 massacre.
According to William Dalrymple's 'The Last Mughal' "All the movables from the church...including the chairs and tables and even the marble slabs on the floors were taken away" on 11 May, the day the soldiers entered the city.
During the British take-back of the city, the church came under heavy firing, and was used as a place of defense as well.
A mutiny memorial was built in the church compounds, and the various Skinners interred here in the grounds, in a cemetery (which I surprisingly missed seeing),as well as Thomas Metcalfe and William Frazer.
The Pew was constructed by |Col. Samuel Swinton Jacob, possibly in 1867 or not much later. He was the Chief Engineer of Jaipur and an architect in the Indo-saracenic style.
The church was in use uptil 1931 as the viceroys church, after which it lost some importance.
In 1961, Queen Elizabeth visited the church as part of her royal visit.
In 2016, restoration work began, and has been going well. We could see teams with ladders fixing the doors and lintels in 2018, March.
The church is quiet and neat. The door is to a side, and at the entrance is a wall of photos and news clippings of the church over the ages. Next to that is the caretakers room. Strangely enough, the church has signs everywhere preventing photography, and asking people to remove their footwear before entering.
Inside, the church space is octagonal, with the entrance at the opposite direction of the seating. With the stained glass windows, the paintings, the memorial tablets and the cool floor, complemented by the absolute silence of this unvisited monument, the atmosphere is calming but alert, with a story of over 180+ years, held in a bated breath of a moment inside.
Location: St James' Cathedral
Some further details can be found at:
William Dalrymple's "The Last Mughal"
https://www.hindustantimes.com/photos/india-news/photos-delhi-s-180-years-old-st-james-church-is-crumbling-into-obscurity/photo-sHOPQrPCxa6uD9eVCc2S1I.html
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/indiahome/indianews/article-3634106/Delhi-s-oldest-church-St-James-s-set-revamp-vibrations-nearby-Kashmere-Gate-Metro-damage-foundations.html
http://www.victorianweb.org/history/empire/india/68.html
Though Christianity came to South India through Kerala, soon after the death of Jesus, North India had just a glimpse of this major religion. Though the Portuguese, French, Dutch and even the English had been in the subcontinent from the time of Akbar, the Mughal capital had no church until the Mughal power was practically non-existent.
Built in Old Delhi by Col. James Skinner, an Anglo Indian,(who has a memorial plaque to his name in the floor of the church) very close to the Residence of the Resident Ochterlony(now in Ambedkar university), and just inside the Kashmiri gate of the fort.The popular story goes that Skinner was lying injured on a battlefield in 1800, and promised to build a church if he lived. The initial cost was around Rs 95,000 is what is believed.
The design is supposed to have been based off of Ochterlony's tomb, that he had built for himself. The church was built in 1836, and was in use till 1857, even managing to convert some locals, like Dr Chimmun Lal and a Delhi University professor. However, they were killed in 1857 for their conversion.
Also listed on the walls of the Church are Padre Jennings, the Padre at the church from 1852. A large proportion of the plaques are for those who died in the 1857 massacre.
According to William Dalrymple's 'The Last Mughal' "All the movables from the church...including the chairs and tables and even the marble slabs on the floors were taken away" on 11 May, the day the soldiers entered the city.
During the British take-back of the city, the church came under heavy firing, and was used as a place of defense as well.
A mutiny memorial was built in the church compounds, and the various Skinners interred here in the grounds, in a cemetery (which I surprisingly missed seeing),as well as Thomas Metcalfe and William Frazer.
The Pew was constructed by |Col. Samuel Swinton Jacob, possibly in 1867 or not much later. He was the Chief Engineer of Jaipur and an architect in the Indo-saracenic style.
The church was in use uptil 1931 as the viceroys church, after which it lost some importance.
In 1961, Queen Elizabeth visited the church as part of her royal visit.
In 2016, restoration work began, and has been going well. We could see teams with ladders fixing the doors and lintels in 2018, March.
The church is quiet and neat. The door is to a side, and at the entrance is a wall of photos and news clippings of the church over the ages. Next to that is the caretakers room. Strangely enough, the church has signs everywhere preventing photography, and asking people to remove their footwear before entering.
Inside, the church space is octagonal, with the entrance at the opposite direction of the seating. With the stained glass windows, the paintings, the memorial tablets and the cool floor, complemented by the absolute silence of this unvisited monument, the atmosphere is calming but alert, with a story of over 180+ years, held in a bated breath of a moment inside.
Location: St James' Cathedral
Some further details can be found at:
William Dalrymple's "The Last Mughal"
https://www.hindustantimes.com/photos/india-news/photos-delhi-s-180-years-old-st-james-church-is-crumbling-into-obscurity/photo-sHOPQrPCxa6uD9eVCc2S1I.html
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/indiahome/indianews/article-3634106/Delhi-s-oldest-church-St-James-s-set-revamp-vibrations-nearby-Kashmere-Gate-Metro-damage-foundations.html
http://www.victorianweb.org/history/empire/india/68.html
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