Kolkata is immersed in reverie during the Christmas season. From long lines at iconic bakeries to streets decked up with fairy lights, the City of Joy gets the Yuletide spirit right. If you are in Kolkata during this time of the year and are wondering how to spend your Christmas, then begin by attending a midnight mass at one of these ancient and beautiful churches:
The most famous church in Kolkata was designed by William Nairn Forbes, a graduate of East India Company's Military School of Addiscombe and built in 1847 in a Gothic Revival style, with Indo-Saracenic elements. Inside, the white walls and high ceilings host a variety of dedicatory tablets, statues, artefacts, and paintings. The church is situated in the central hub of the city and surrounded by a large garden. At Christmas, the whole cathedral and the surrounding area is decorated with lights to herald the beautiful Anglican ceremony.
Built in 1784, St John's is one of the oldest churches in Kolkata. It was a cathedral a long time back, and among the first public buildings that the East India Company built in Kolkata, on land donated to Governor Warren Hastings by Maharaja Nabo Kishen Bahadur. While you are there for the mass, look out for the painting of the Last Supper by Johann Zoffany - a German neoclassical painter, who is said to have replaced the faces of the apostles with that of members of Kolkata's high society.
Built in the 1770s, this slightly dilapidated church is known to be the oldest surviving one in Kolkata. Its altar has stained glass art which depicts the life of Christ. Of note is the vintage pipe organ which came from Europe and is still in use.
One of the biggest churches in Kolkata, the church can accommodate nearly five hundred people. It is one of the most popular places for midnight Christmas mass. The church holds mass in English, Bengali, Hindi and other languages.
Holy Rosary Cathedral, Barabazar, Kolkata
Built in 1799, this church is also known as Murgihata Church or the Portugese Church. Look out for the sculptures of the Stations of The Cross. The cathedral boasts an ornate pediment adorned with intricate designs, bordered by twin domed towers and an expansive portico featuring an arched entrance. Inside, exquisite sculptures, such as the 14 Stations of the Cross, adorn the interior. Positioned behind the altar are the striking figures of the Madonna and Child. Below the altar rest the remains of the inaugural Archbishop of Calcutta.