St. Stephen's Large Romanesque Church" Of Delhi - Historical Site

Navrang India December 25, 2024

 

 Delhi, present capital and once the capital of the British Raj (since 1903 has many historical churches. They were built in English or European styles to serve the English and high ranking British officers under the British Crown Administration. No other church was more interesting than St. Stephen's Church  Among them the St. Stephen's church is an interesting one.   The primary reasons are   the exterior of the church is brick red in color. The other historical reason is it is said to symbolize  the blood of St. Stephen, the first Christian Martyr and Patron Saint of the city, and also the blood of the first Christian martyrs in India who were killed in Delhi in the 1857=58 first major war of Independence against the  oppressive and tyrannical East India Company(famously called  Sepoy Mutiny 

St. Stephen’s Church, on the busy Church Mission Road in old  Delhi came up in  1862.  Constructed  by Anglican missionaries and DPW Engineers and  it is now a land mark place in sprawling Delhi metropolis and now comes under the  Church of North India Diocese of Delhi. 

The popular  St. Stephen’s College and St. Stephen’s Hospital  are also active within the same compound. The Anglican mission Society for the Propagation of the Gospel, it is said, was responsible for building this church to take care of the spiritual needs of the early European settlers and the newly converts who moved over to India for jobs with  the British Raj. This organization was given full support by the Cambridge Mission to Delhi which founded the St. Stephen's College .   The college is  now affiliated to Delhi University. 

St. Stephen’s Church Delhi victorianweb.org

This Church  was built in  typical Gothic style of design influenced by the Romanesque architecture which moat of the churches followed in the past  This church has amazing  stained glass rose window which is exclusive in Delhi and also for its ornate walls and ceilings. Yet another  unique feature  in this  baroque styled church is the arched windows are set in a way as to allow  enough sunlight to brighten the interiors. There are  nice pictures, carvings, well-made pieces of  beautiful furniture. and motif.  A series of fine plasters form arcade on either side with lined columns made of sandstone. These columns carry beautiful carvings. The structure itself is described on the heritage board outside as a "large Romanesque Church" 
St. Stephen’s Church Delhi. lickr.com

'Ian Baucom explains that the Gothic triumphed so completely "in the cities, cantonments, and stations of the British Raj" because the "architects and engineers of the colony's Public Works Department had at their disposal not only the writings of Ruskin and Pugin but also such journals as the Camden Society's Ecclesiologist, a periodical devoted to disseminating Pugin's Gothic principles, and the The Builder, the leading architectural publication of the period"  Jan Morris labels this kind of building work neatly as "Royal Engineers' Gothic, Public Works Department Gothic". But the architect's name may have been deliberately omitted from this church's history...........' (vide: http://www.victorianweb.org/history/
empire/india/12c.html). The church has high ceiling with baroque style of decoration which gives the feeling of divinity and a sense of sanctity prevailing on the premises.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Stephen%27s_Church,_Delhi