St. Stephen's Church, Delhi

Standing amidst the cacophony of Old Delhi, St. Stephen’s Church is an architectural masterpiece of the mid-19th century and also a holy abode of Jesus Christ. Situated on the Church Mission Road in Old Delhi, St. Stephen’s Church is counted amongst the highly revered religious places in Delhi. Throughout the year, the church is visited by numerous devotees from far and wide. Being one of the oldest churches in Delhi, St. Stephen Church is standing with pride in the region. Throughout the year, the church observes many festivals and celebrations. Amongst those, Christmas is one significant festival which marks a large presence of visitors, both locals and tourists, from far and wide. Apart from this, the events at the St. Stephen’s Church include Easter, Palm Sunday, and Feast Day. Despite being more than 100 years old, the architecture of the church still looks so fresh and beautiful that one could easily fall in love with this place with a sight of it.

History

The organization responsible for the building of St. Stephen’s Church was the Anglican mission Society for the Propagation of the Gospel. Much of the work of the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in India was later supported by the Cambridge Mission to Delhi. The Cambridge Mission was instrumental in the founding of St. Stephen’s College, Delhi now a constituent part of Delhi University. The color of the Church 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 revolt.

Architecture

The Church is typical Gothic style architecture, the Church is highly influenced by Romanesque architecture Apart from its ornate walls and ceilings the Church has a unique feature which is the stained glass rose window which is exclusive in Delhi. The baroque-styled church has arched windows which allow the sunlight to brighten the interiors. the interiors are well maintained with motifs, pictures, carvings, and beautiful furniture. A series of fine plasters form an arcade on either side with lined columns made of sandstone. These columns have beautiful carvings.