Old Catholic Church, Pachmarhi, MP designed by Irish architect Henry Erwin

Architect Irwin.. Catholic church, Pachmarhi, MP,,twitter.com

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Henry Irwin's Anglican church at Pachmarhi, MP. upload.wikimedia.org

There are innumerable colonial buildings and churches dotted across India and all of them were designed by famous architects. The Catholic church at Pachmarhi, an Anglican place of worship (about 150 years old), is an interesting one. The famous Irish architect Henry Irwin had his initiation here in the area of colonial architecture, quite suitable to this part of the world. 

Located in a quiet and serene environment in Pachmarhi this Anglican church was built in  the 19th century during the  colonial period to cater to the spiritual needs of a small community of Christian living in this part of Madhya Pradesh.. The  Church. is in the restricted cantonment area  (since colonial time) and only on Sundays  for a few hours it is open to public  for  services and prayer.

Catholic church, Pachmarhi, MP. interior.trippertravels.com

 stained glass windows, Catholic church, Pachmarhi, MP. wikipedia commons org.

The church obviously has old world charm  Features like stained-color class  works depicting episodes from Christ's life. archaic windows, neo-Gothic altar and unique high ceiling add more charm to the old-world aesthetics. The   picturesque location in the midst of greenery is an ideal place to go into  meditation or prayer to get rid of stress and worries.; you will be free from the very mundane existence. 

Location map. Pachmarhi, Madhya Pradesh..traveltriangle.com

The architect of this church at Pachmarhi,  a famous hill station (elevation 3501 feet),  was the famous Irish Architect  'Henry Irwin'. It was his debut in the Indian subcontinent in the area of  colonial type of architecture . He completed the church  in 1872. When he was the   Executive Engineer in Nagpur (1872), he was entrusted with the design work and it was built in accordance with the guidelines laid out for ecclesiastical buildings in the UK in the 19th century. That point of time they did not like  onion domes and pointed arches but even the "heathen" implications of the neo-classical or Graeco-Roman monuments. A movement called  the Gothic Revival was taking shape to  redefine High Church or Anglo-Catholic self-belief, shedding assault on traditional  Christian values.  Irwin's design was very much appreciated and his initial work won him laurels. . He received many honors including his appointment as Consulting Architect to the Madras Government in 1888.

 Catholic church, Pachmarhi, MP  destinationsindia.com

This old church receives visitors on the week ends.  Though the the façade of the building may look faded and a bit damaged  but the  interior portions are in good shape as they have been in the last  145 plus years. In spite of its age the church is proud to have aesthetically sound interiors

There is a small cemetery adjacent to the church and here there are tombs of those who were killed in the WWI and WWII. 

https://www.thrillophilia.com/attractions/pachmarhi-catholic-church

https://www.triphobo.com/places/pachmarhi-india/pachmarhi-catholic-church

https://victorianweb.org/art/architecture/irwin/das/1.html