Churches in Howrah

Howrah has a lot of churches among the major branches of Protestant and Catholic churches and the not so known Orthodox sect churches like the Armenians, Greek or Syrian. However, in Howrah there can be found several Catholic churches, the list of which is given below.

St. James Church in Howrah

At the behest of Archdeacon Pratt, this church was built and is considered one the most elegant churches near Howrah. The architectural style used here is English Gothic and the architect for the church was Water B Granville.

Standing tall at 167, Acharya Jagadish Chandra Bose Road, Kolkata, the first stone of this Church dedicated to St. James, was laid on June 7th, 1862. It was later consecrated by Bishop Cotton on 25th July, 1864.

St. Paul’s Cathedral in Howrah

It is an Anglican cathedral of the Church Of North India and the seat of the diocese of Howrah. It is located near the Victoria Memorial and the Birla Planetarium, Kolkata which is in close proximity to Howrah. The construction for the church began in 1839 and was completed by 1847. It has been later rebuilt post an earthquake along the lines of Bell Harry Tower in Canterbury. The building earliest benefactor was Bishop Daniel Wilson.

Armenian Church of the Holy Nazareth in Howrah

It is believed to be an Armenian Church and is situated in Barabazar. It is also called the ‘Mother Church’ amongst the Indian Armenians.

It is one of the oldest churches near Howrah and was built in 1724 by Agha Nazar. It happens to be one of the three known Armenian churches located in Howrah.

The other two are the church of Saint Gregory, the Illuminator and Saint Mary’s Church.

St. Thomas Church in Howrah

The church is situated in St. Thomas Church School, between the junior and the senior school buildings. The church was previously known as Howrah Church and was constructed in 1830. Its prime benefactor was Rev. Professor Holmes of the East India Company.

He was also in the position of the principal in the Bishop College. It was constructed with the intention of providing a place of worship for the local population. Bishop Daniel Wilson consecrated the church in 1832, two years after its completion. In 1843, the church was renamed as St. Thomas Church.

The architect of this church was William Jones. The architectural style of the church is Gothic.

Address:
Church Road, Howrah Railway Stn
Howrah, West Bengal, Pin code: 711101

Don Bosco Liluah Church in Howrah

The church finds its prestigious place in the compounds of the Don Bosco High and Technical School, Liluah. This church of St. John Bosco is the school’s church. The church was constructed for the Europeans and the Anglo- Indian community of Catholics of the Liluah Railway Station on 8th December 1937 by the Archbishop F. Perrier. It stood here until in 1985, it was replaced by a new church rebuilt and blessed on December 8th of the same year.

Address:
Abhay Guha Road, Government Quarters
Liluah, Howrah, West Bengal, Pin code: 711204


These are the important churches in and around Howrah which have been the pride of this place for hundreds of years now. The churches have stood the test of time in propagating the Christian religion among its followers.