Armenian Church of St. John the Baptist, Christian church in Chinsurah, India.
The Armenian Church of St. John the Baptist features white walls and a tall steeple rising near the Hooghly River in a compact layout. The structure contains more than 100 graves inside and around it, creating a sacred burial ground for the merchants and officials who shaped the area.
Commissioned in 1695 by the Khoja brothers, this building became the first Armenian place of worship established in India. The tall steeple was added in 1822, giving the structure the form visitors see today.
The church served as a gathering place for the Armenian community who built wealth through commerce in colonial Bengal. Visiting this space reveals how important this group was to the local merchant networks that shaped the region.
The church sits roughly 25 miles (40 kilometers) north of Kolkata near the Hooghly River in an accessible area. The building is open for visits and services occur especially during Armenian feast days, so timing a visit around these occasions gives the best experience.
The cemetery holds the tomb of David Freedone Melik Belgar, the last independent prince from Karbagh in Tiflis, making this one of the few places honoring such a notable figure from the Caucasus. This burial reflects how far the Armenian networks extended across continents during the colonial era.
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