Located in the Hazratganj area, Christ Church is
Lucknow’s oldest Church, built in 1860. The first Anglican Church in North
India, and probably the third in all of India, was the St. Mary’s Church, located
inside Lucknow’s Residency. During the mutiny of 1857, it was heavily shelled
by the rebels and was completely destroyed. For the next few years, services
were held inside the tomb of Nawaab Saadat Ali Khan II. Christ Church was
designed by Lt. Swetenham of the Royal Engineers and was consecrated by Bishop
Cotton on 26th November, 1860.
Christ Church was built during the Victorian era, and
is the Neo-Gothic style that was popular at the time. The brick and stucco
church has a prominent five storeyed pointed tower, and though there were not
enough funds for a clock to be installed, the insets were provided for it, and
are visible today. The Gothic arched windows however appear to be rather small
considering the thickness of the walls. There are multiple entrances all around
the building. The interiors are magnificent and double height and the ceiling
in particular is beautiful.
Christ Church was meant to serve the protestant
community of Lucknow as a memorial to those who lost their lives in the mutiny.
As such, memorial plaques to the mutiny dead may be found all along the walls
of the Church. General Hutchinson designed identical memorial tablets for Sir
James Outram and Sir Henry Lawrence which may be seen even today. The stone
pulpit itself is a memorial to Captain Nicol Hardy, who died in battle near the
spot where it stands. When originally designed, a modest amount of stained
glass was used, but the Church has been enlarged and improved twice, in 1904
and 1916, and today two magnificent examples of stained glass may be seen
inside the Church. The larger of the two is above the altar, while the smaller
(but no less beautiful) one may be seen on the wall directly opposite.
Christ Church today continues to serve the city’s
small but dedicated Christian community, and there is a caretaker living with
his family on the grounds, who will open up the Church and show you around. Entry
is free and there are no restrictions on photography, although, thanks to the
small windows, the interiors tend to be rather dark. On the whole, the building
is well maintained.
-
by
Deepanjan Ghosh
MORE ON LUCKNOW- The Residency
- Bada Imambara
- Tomb of Nawaab Saadat Ali Khan II
- Teele Wali Masjid
- Nadan Mahal
- Rumi Darwaza
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I am grateful to my friend, Devankan Chakraborty for
being my guide around Lucknow, to Kalpajeet Bhattacharya for his hospitality,
and to my father Debashish Ghosh, and sister, Deepshikha Ghosh for accompanying
me, and providing valuable inputs while shooting the monuments. Check out my father’s flickr page here.
SOURCES
Monuments of Lucknow – R.S. Fonia
Lucknow Then & Now – Rosie Llewellyn-Jones (Ed)
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