The Cathedral of the Most Holy Rosary...

The city of Joy had witnessed history over a huge period of time dating back to1686 when it was established as a British colony, and named by Job Charnock. The Calcutta High Court ruled in 2003. that Job Charnock, generally believed to be the founder of the Calcutta, is not the founder of the city and that hence Kolkata has no birthday. According to the Court, the city has its genesis in the Maurya and Gupta period and it was an established trading post long before the Slave Dynasty of the Delhi Sultanate, the Mughals, the Portuguese, the French or the East India Company established a modern township there. Before the establishment of the city, it was a piece of marshy land owned by Zamindars at that time and was divided into three villages namely Gobindapur in the east, Sutanati in the north and Kalikata in the south.

One of the various places of interest that can't be missed during a visit to Calcutta is the Cathedral of the Most Holy Rosary also known as the Portuguese Church in Burrabazar, Kolkata, which is the cathedral of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Calcutta. It is also known as the Murgihata Church. The foundations of the church were laid in 1797 and it was completed in 1799.

The street on which the Church is situated was named Portuguese Church Street until recently, in the area of Murgihata adjacent to Lalbazar. The main Church of the Padroado in Kolkata till 1834, when it became the first parish Church of the newly erected Vicariate Apostolic of Bengal, the Salesians, who took over charge from the Jesuits in 1921, handed it over to the Diocesan Clergy in 1972. The Cathedral Annexe was built in 1979.

History of the Church -

The Cathedral of the Most Holy Rosary was completed in 1799. It is the only remaining architectural relic of Kolkata’s lesser-known Portuguese past. Commonly called the Portuguese Church today, the cathedral, painted in a combination of vivid blue and pristine white, still holds services and is currently the seat of the Archbishop of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Calcutta.

Originally built as a chapel for Augustinian friars, the Portuguese settlers in 18th-century Kolkata (then called Calcutta) decided to repurpose the building into a new church for the community. With the financial assistance of a wealthy Portuguese trader and philanthropist named Joseph Barretto, the new church was built and consecrated in the 1790s and dedicated to Our Blessed Lady of the Rosary. Situated on Portuguese Church Street and amidst a warren of shops and buildings, the cathedral with its two lofty towers adorned by crown-shaped cupolas is a unique reminder of the city’s highly cosmopolitan past.

The Portuguese had arrived in Bengal as early as the 1530s, starting a trading post in Bandel, now a town in the Hooghly district of West Bengal. The Dutch traders arrived next, followed by the French, while the British were the last to arrive in this part of India. With the establishment of Kolkata as a British settlement at the end of the 17th century, descendants of the early Portuguese traders, mainly of Eurasian heritage, began migrating to the city, their numbers becoming substantial in the mid-18th century. They constructed a chapel and were attended by Augustinian priests. In 1799, the chapel was replaced by the church which is used today as the cathedral.

Gradually, the kaleidoscopic population of the city seemed to have raised the necessity of demarcating specific areas for particular races. Since the Portuguese were the only ones to raise fowl, their quarter came to be designated as Murgihatta (also Murgighata), loosely translated as “poultry quarter,” though the word murgi usually means “chicken” in Bengali. The cathedral too came to be known colloquially as the Murgighata church.

Structure & Features -

The cathedral has a decorated pediment, flanked on either side by two domed towers and an extended portico with an arched entranceway. The interior contains beautiful sculptures including 14 Stations of the Cross. Behind the altar, there are the figures of Madonna and Child. The remains of the first Archbishop of Calcutta lie below the altar.

Apart from the two towers, the eye-catching exterior of the cathedral is adorned with a decorative pediment rendered in vibrant hues. An arched entrance leads to a collonaded interior with wooden pews set on either side of the aisle. The main altarpiece, painted white with gold highlights, looks resplendent when light from the circular stained-glass windows set high above filters in. The statue of the Virgin Mary with the infant Jesus occupies pride of place on the massive altarpiece. Another interesting feature of the cathedral is the 14 wooden panels in bas relief, which depict the 14 Stations of the Cross. In 1979, the cathedral annexe was constructed.

The Stations of the Cross or the Way of the Cross, also known as the Way of Sorrows or the Via Crucis, refers to a series of images depicting Jesus Christ on the day of his crucifixion and accompanying prayers. The stations grew out of imitations of Via Dolorosa in Jerusalem which is believed to be the actual path Jesus walked to Mount Calvary. The objective of the stations is to help the Christian faithful to make a spiritual pilgrimage through contemplation of the Passion of Christ. It has become one of the most popular devotions and the stations can be found in many Western Christian churches, including Anglican, Lutheran, Methodist, and Roman Catholic.

How to Reach:

The church is located in Burra Bazar, Kolkata which can be called the business hub of the city. There are various ways how you can reach the place as it is very well connected. The shortest route for anyone to reach the church is by arriving by train at Howrah Railway Station and then board a bus or a cab and reach the place. Or the other alternative to come by train is arriving at Sealdah Railway Station and board a bus or taxi and reach the church. The nearest airport is Netaji Subhash Chandra Domestic and International Airport that is located in Dumdum.

Places to Visit:

A person visiting the church can go and enjoy a walk along the Hoogly river bank which is quite near and even take a tour in the Ganges with the help of government ferry services and private boats that are available for hire. There are various places to discover in and around the church like the Mullick Ghat flower market, Babu Ghat, Dalhousie Square, Tipu Sultan Mosque, James Princep Ghat, New Market, Eden Gardens to name a few. Taking a stroll in the city among the crowds is a great way to explore the places although the option is not advisable now as it is now better to avoid crowds due to covid reasons.

Many people visit Kolkata for various reasons be it for business or just for recreational purpose. Being one of the metro cities of India, and a Cosmopolitan city of the east it acts as the main business hub for the northeastern states of India.

I would recommend someone coming from outside to visit Kolkata during the rainy and winter season in the months of August to January. The Durga Puja is the main attraction of the city and is celebrated during the months of September to November.

Picture Courtesy: Wikipedia.