All Saints Cathedral

All Saints Cathedral, also known as Patthar Girja (Church of Stones) is an Anglican cathedral located in Allahabad, India. Modeled after 13th-century Gothic style churches, it is among the Gothic Revival buildings built by the British during their rule in India. British architect Sir William Emerson, who also designed the Victoria Memorial, Kolkata, designed the cathedral in 1871. It was consecrated in 1887 and was completed four years later.

The church celebrates its anniversary on All Saints' Day (November 1) and is part of the Church of North India. The cathedral is build at the centre of a large open space at the crossing of two of the principal roads of Allahabad, MG Marg and SN Marg.

According to The Building News, November 25, 1887, the cathedral was commenced some 15 years ago and was at first intended for the cathedral of the North-Western Provinces and to have an open verandah and ambulatory all round. It was, however, afterwards decided that the cathedral of the North-Western Provinces should be at Lahore instead, though it is now thought probable that this will eventually form the cathedral church of a new dioceses.

Since first begin, Allahabad, by reason of extension of the railway system has increased so enormously that it is found necessary to provide for the addition to the transept and choir of a nave accommodating a much larger congregation that was dreamed of at first.

The cathedral's nave is about 40 feet wide and 130 feet long, total length of the church is about 240 feet and internal width is about 56 feet. It is designed to accommodate 300 to 400 persons. It is a remarkable example architecture of colonial India. Glass and marble work of Cathedral is retained in originality even after more than 125 years, The Cathedral also houses many plaques which depict the death of different British nationals for a variety of reasons during their rule in India. The church is surrounded by a lush green garden.

The pulpit is an exceedingly fine piece of workmanship in alabaster by Mr. Nicholls of Lambeth from Mr. Emerson’s designs. Narrow aisles were made in the building thus giving a total internal width of about 56 feet. There are two transepts on the North and South respectively, a chancel with an ambulatory, a central tower at the intersection of the nave and transepts and a west porch. The lantern tower, Victoria Tower, is a memorial to Queen Victoria.

Getting There

The city is well connected with the rail lines to all major cities and towns so people will not face any difficulty in reaching the place smoothly and comfortably.

Allahabad has its own airport, Allahabad Airport. It is at a distance of 12 km (7.5 mi) from Allahabad city and is operational for domestic flights. The other nearby Airports are based in Varanasi, Lucknow and Kanpur.

Allahabad Junction is one of the major junctions in Northern India and there are many trains that connect it to several other places such as Delhi, Mumbai, Lucknow, Bhopal, Kolkata and Jaipur. Four important railway stations of Allahabad are City Station at Rambagh, Daraganj Station, Prayag Station and Allahabad Station.

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