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| St. Paul's Church, Pune, MH.localguidesconnect.com |
Necessity arose to have an Anglican church built in Pune, then part of the Bombay Presidency to cater to the spiritual needs of the European soldiers and English families settled there. It was through the efforts of the Rev. Thomas Robinson the first chaplain of Pune in 1820 under the EIC rule, steps were taken with cooperation from Ven. George Barnes, the first Archdeacon of Bombay. Upon obtaining permission from the Governor St. Mary's Church came up on Gen Bhagat Marg, Often referred to as "The Mother Church of the Deccan", it was consecrated by Bishop Heber of Calcutta, the only Bishop in India then, on the 3rd July 1825. Heber, on a visit to Tiruchirappalli in TN (then Madras presidency) died. As the Christian population grew in size and lots of Europeans moved in to take up jobs in the military and civil services, the only church that had been serving the Christian community could not provide adequate accommodation for all.
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| St. Paul's Church, Pune, MH st.paulspune.in |
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Because of financial constraints a proposal for a second church kept postponed. Even the Rt. Rev. Dr. Thomas Carr, the first Bishop of Bombay in the late 1840s made a futile attempt to build another church. The main reason was fund crunch.
After several years of wait, the government gave permission for a second church and on 29th August 1863, the foundation stone of St. Paul's Church was laid by the Governor and later the work was completed at the cost Rs.90000 by the middle of February 1867 and the consecration took place on 5th of March 1867.
Rev. F. Gell.who designed the church followed the English style of design in Gothic with a high pitched roof of corrugated Iron sheets. At that point of time most of the churches in Europe followed Gothic architecture with occasional incorporation of other styles. Length of the Church is 95 1/2 feet.
Unfortunately fire broke out in 1900 soon after the repair work on the high pitched roof consisting of metal plates and the workers were soldering the sheets in order to make them fully waterproof. The exact cause of fire was not clear, however in the aftermath the pews and floors, the organ, etc., were reduced to burning cinder and debris lying under the fallen red hot smoking sheets of corrugated iron, The beautiful stained glass windows, the altar all were severely damaged far beyond restoration.
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| St. Paul's Church, Pune, MH stpaulspune.in |
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| St. Paul's Church, Pune, MH tripadvisor.com |
The church was later restored at the cost of about Rs. 13,000/-. The restored church had little changes in the forms of additional ventilation to keep indoors cool and comfortable and Sunday the 9th July 1901, the church was reopened for services. The BDTA recently donated Rs. 3,00,000/- to this Church for renovation
Various rare feline creatures carved on the walls outside get the attention of the visitors. The magic lies in the interior part and during the day time it is well lit by the radiating s natural sunlight because of walls interspersed with large glass panels. So, there is no need for artificial light most of the time during the day. The blast of sunlight covers the hall and also the altar. The altar is adorned with a marble sculpture of Jesus. The restored pulpit and the old pipe organ are well maintained. The high ceiling cuts down the radiation emanating from the top. The has a commemorative stone at its base marking the beginning of construction work. Surrounded by high walls, its tall, pointed spire is a landmark sight on the busy church lane. The church has close similarity with St. Chapelle in Paris with cobblestone exterior.
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/pune/visitors-just-a-trickle-over-the-years-but-st-pauls-stands-tall/articleshow/55812842.cms
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