ABOUT OUR CATHEDRAL

The Cathedral was consecrated in 1847 and dedicated to St. Paul, the Apostle is the Mother Church of the Diocese of Calcutta (CNI).

 

You will find history in abundance, but the Cathedral is a living faith that continues to shape and change the lives of thousands of ordinary people today.

 

It is a place where you will be able to experience the divine. May you be blessed as you visit this place.

 

Daniel Wilson, the 5th Bishop of Calcutta and the 1st Metropolitan, arrived in Calcutta in 1832. Like his predecessors, Middleton, Heber, James and Turner, Bishop Wilson initially presided at St. John's Church which had been consecrated in 1787, but he dreamt of building a Cathedral for the city. It was Bishop Wilson's vision, perseverance and faith that grew into what became the great St. Paul's Cathedral.

 

The foundation stone was laid on 8 October, 1839. Bishop Wilson himself donated INR 1,00,000 and left a further endowment of INR 1,00,000 in his will. Along with a grant by the East India Company, brick-by-brick, Bishop Wilson's dream became reality, the chancel, the sanctuary, the side chapels, the lofty spire.
​
175 years have passed since Consecration Day on 8 October, 1847 and the Cathedral has gone through all the ravages of time and circumstances - but most importantly St. Paul's Cathedral has served God and has served the city of Kolkata. Millions have prayed at its altars; in joy or in sorrow, in hope or bereavement hearts and returned home with solace.