page_title: St. John's Church, Kolkata
section_title: History and architecture
hierarchical_section_title: St. John's Church, Kolkata / History and architecture
caption_attribution_description: English: "St John's Cathedral, Calcutta," hand-coloured photographic print by Frederick Fiebig, dated 1851. Courtesy of the British Library, London.
context_page_description: St. John's Church, originally a cathedral, was among the first public buildings erected by the East India Company after Kolkata became the effective capital of British India. It is located at the North-Western corner of Raj Bhavan, and served as the Anglican Cathedral of Calcutta till 1847, when the see was transferred to St. Paul's Cathedral. Construction of the building, modelled on St Martin-in-the-Fields of London, started in 1784, with Rs 30,000 raised through a public lottery, and was completed in 1787. The land the church stands on was gifted by Maharaja Nabo Kishen Bahadur of Sobhabazar. It is the third oldest church in the city, next to the Armenian and the Old Mission Church.
context_section_description: The land for the St. John's Church was donated by the Maharaja Nabo Kishen Bahadur, the founder of the Shovabazar Raj Family. The foundation stone was laid by Warren Hastings, the Governor General of India on 6 April 1784. Two marble plaques at the entrance mark the two historic events.
  Built by architect James Agg, the St John's church is built with a combination of brick and stone and was commonly known as the "Pathure Girja" (Stone Church). Stone was a rare material in the late 18th century Kolkata. The stones came from the medieval ruins of Gour, and were shipped down the Hooghly River. The minutes book in the church office tell in detail the story of how the ruins of Gaur were robbed to build St John's church.
  The church is a large square structure in the Neoclassical architectural style. A stone spire 174 ft tall is its most distinctive feature. The spire holds a giant clock, which is wound every day.
  One of the driving forces behind the construction of the cathedral was Chaplain William Johnson, the husband of Begum Johnson."Chapter 7" . Calcutta: Past and Present – via Wikisource.
caption: St John's Cathedral Calcutta 1851
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