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St. Paul's Cathedral is an Anglican cathedral of the Victorian age, of the Church of North India – a united church which is part of the Anglican Communion – in Kolkata, West Bengal, India. It is the seat of the Diocese of Calcutta, and the incumbent bishop since June 2008 is the Rt. Revd. Ashoke Biswas. It was completed in 1847 after Bishop of Calcutta laid the foundation in 1839. It is said to be the largest cathedral in Kolkata and the first Episcopal Church of Asia. It was also the first cathedral that was built in the overseas territory of the British Empire. The edifice stands on the Cathedral Road on the "island of attractions" to provide for more space for the growing population of the European community in Calcutta in the 1800s. Following the 1897 earthquake and the subsequent massive earthquake of 1934 when Calcutta suffered substantial damage, the cathedral was reconstructed to a revised design. The architectural design of the cathedral is "Indo-Gothic", a Gothic architectural style that was built to meet the climatic conditions of India. The cathedral complex has a library, built over the western porch. The cathedral has a display of many Plastic art forms and memorabilia. Apart from Bishop Daniel Wilson, the founder of the cathedral, the other notable burial in the church is that of John Paxton Norman, an acting Chief Justice who was assassinated. ==Location== The cathedral is in front of the Bishop's Palace on Chowringhee Road, in direct line of vision of the edifice of the Victoria Memorial. It is to east of the Victoria Memorial and at the southern extremity of the maidan, a park. The building itself stands on the Cathedral Road,〔 on the "island of attractions" in Kolkata - beside the Victoria Memorial, Nandan, Rabindra Sadan theatre complex, and the Birla Planetarium. ==History== The objective of building the cathedral was to ensure more space for the growing population of the European community in Calcutta (4000 men and 300 women in Bengal in 1810), as the existing old "James Agg's St John's Church" built in 1787 did not have adequate space to accommodate the rising Christian population in the city. Before a decision was taken in 1832 to build a cathedral at the location, the area was in 1762 infested with wild life, with tigers roaming about. Later the area had developed and was known as "Fives Court" but this location was considered "too far south". Even before this decision was taken, in 1819 Bishop Middleton had mooted the idea of building the cathedral. However, he died in 1822 without realizing his dream, and the Bishops such as Heber, James and Turner who came after him also died without the cathedral coming into shape. The first design for the cathedral had been conceived in 1819 by William Nairn Forbes at the request of Marquess of Hastings, then Governor-General of Bengal but was not accepted as it was very expensive to build.〔 It was only in 1832 when Bishop Daniel Wilson came to Calcutta that the project was revived. Land to build the cathedral was identified and an area of was acquired. Forbes designed the present cathedral at the request of Bishop Daniel Wilson, which could accommodate about 800 to 1,000 people of Christian community.〔 A Cathedral Committee was set up and designs to build the cathedral were drawn up. On 8 October 1839, construction was initiated by laying the cornerstone. The cathedral was completed after eight years and consecrated on 8 October 1847. It consisted of the chancel, the sanctuary, the chapels and the tall spire; the cost of construction of the edifice was then Rs. 4,35,669.〔〔〔 On this occasion, which was very largely attended by Europeans and local people, Queen Victoria had sent "ten pieces of silver-gilt plate" for the cathedral.〔 The military engineer, Major William Nairn Forbes (1796–1855) (who later became a Major General of the Bengal Engineers), designed the cathedral with the assistance of architect C. K. Robinson, modelling the tower and spire upon the Norwich Cathedral. The cathedral was built in Gothic revival style, but with modern construction elements, including an iron framework.〔 In the 1897 earthquake and the subsequent massive earthquake of 1934 when Calcutta was devastated, the cathedral's steeple collapsed. It was reconstructed to a revised design.〔 The tower was rebuilt along the lines of the central Bell Harry tower of Canterbury Cathedral, following the 1934 Calcutta earthquake.〔 The Bishop's House across the street is also architecturally notable. On its completion, St Paul's replaced St. John's Church, Kolkata as the cathedral.〔 The cathedral also has a statue of Bishop Heber (1783–1826), who was the Second Bishop of Calcutta; the statue was sculpted by Francis Leggatt Chantrey. The cathedral is well maintained in a serene and peaceful atmosphere. People of all religious denominations can visit the church. Service is held regularly. Christmas is a special occasion when a large number of people assemble here to participate in the festivities. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「St. Paul's Cathedral, Kolkata」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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