St. Paul's Cathedral, Anglican cathedral in Kolkata, India.
St. Paul's Cathedral is a white Gothic Revival cathedral on Cathedral Road in Kolkata, India. Its long nave wall has a crenellated parapet with pointed pinnacles and tall pointed-arch windows between buttresses. A square tower with paired lancet openings, a clock face and four corner pinnacles rises at the right; a gabled porch with a cross projects at the base. The nave is 247 feet long and 81 feet wide, and the tower was rebuilt after 1934 along the lines of Canterbury Cathedral's Bell Harry tower.
Bishop Daniel Wilson laid the foundation stone in 1839 for this first episcopal church on the Asian continent, which was finished eight years later. Earthquakes damaged the building several times during the 19th and 20th centuries, leading to various repairs and reinforcements of the structure.
The cathedral carries the name of the Apostle Paul, following the tradition of Anglican mother churches across former British colonial cities. Sunday services take place in English, drawing a congregation of local worshippers and international visitors.
The cathedral stands on Cathedral Road at the southern edge of the Maidan, east of the Victoria Memorial and opposite the Bishop's House at 51 Chowringhee Road. People of all faiths may enter, and services are held regularly; visitors should keep quiet during worship. Christmas draws large crowds.
The west window's stained glass was made by Morris & Co. to a design by Edward Burne-Jones, installed in 1880 in memory of Lord Mayo, assassinated in the Andaman Islands. The tower holds five clocks, each weighing about three tons. A library sits above the western porch, alongside a display of memorabilia.
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