KOTTARAKARA COLLEGE ART MEMBERS VISITED CHRIST CHURCH SHIMLA

CHRIST CHURCH SHIMLA

               Kottarakara St. Gregorios College ART( Association of Retired Teachers) visited Christ Church ,Shimla on 29^th April,,2014. The team includes 40 members. Christ Church, Shimla, is the second oldest church in North India, after St John's Church in Meerut. It is a parish in the Diocese of Amritsar in the Church of North India. Its current incumbent is The Rev. Mushtaq Achher Malk, B.D., M.Th., whose ecclesiastical designation is presbyter-in-charge. Worship is conducted in Hindi and English.Built in the neo-Gothic style in 1857 to serve the largely Anglican British community in what was formerly called Simla, Christ Church is situated on The Ridge where is stands out as one of the prominent landmarks of Shimla. The silhouette of Christ Church is visible for miles around the vicinity of Shimla city. Christ Church remains one of the enduring legacies of the British Raj.

              Christ Church was designed by Colonel J. T. Boileau in 1844, and the church was consecrated after 1857. The clock adorning Christ Church was donated by Colonel Dumbleton in 1860. The porch was added in 1873.Christ Church has survived partition and the subsequent political upheavals on the Indian subcontinent. Christ Church continues to be very well maintained and remains in good condition. The clock, however, no longer functions - due to entropy.The church contains five fine stained glass windows. One represents the Christian virtues of Faith, Hope, Charity, Fortitude, Patience and Humility.The Pipe-Organ of Christ Church is the biggest in the Indian subcontinent and was erected in September 1899.

The Church was designed by Colonel J.T. Boileau in 1884 and consecrated in 1857. It served the large Anglican British community in Shimla, when it was very much a British town. The Church had survived many changes and had seen generation come and go.The interior of the church is plain except for the five stained glass windows adorning the church on the east. Each window represents different Christian virtues of faith, hope, charity, fortitude, patience and humility. The church is open to visitors from Monday to Saturday, between 10:30am to 5:30pm.The sanctum of the church is peaceful even with all the hullaballoo outside at the Ridge. It is far removed from this world, surely a gift from the past.

                                                         Prof. John Kurakar