Lahore Cathedral: an icon of faith

Church is one of the major religious heritage sites in the country

LAHORE:

Lahore Cathedral, known as Cathedral Church of the Resurrection, is one of the iconic 19th century buildings which have added to the grandeur of Lahore and the fame of the Mall Road.

Built in the Gothic style of architecture in the year 1887, the Angelical cathedral stands witness to the rise of the British Empire in the sub-continent.

Lahore has inherited rich cultural, religious and political history over millennia as it was home to multifarious iconic buildings tracing Muslim, Christian, Sikh, Hindu and Buddhist history in the region.

Known as 'Kukar Girja' to Lahorites of the 20th century due to a weathercock - it is not there anymore - erected atop the church on the central lantern to show direction of the wind, the building has been one of the major religious heritage sites in the country.

It said that weathercock was removed as a precaution to protect human lives in the aftermath of the 1935 Quetta earthquake.

On the historicity of the Lahore Cathedral of the Resurrection, Pastor Shaid Meraj said that the cathedral houses some of the holiest relics and historic documents and paraphernalia. He said a memorial wall has been dedicated to the officers of the 5th King Edward VII's Own Probyn's Horse - Cavalry Regiment including Punjabi Musalmans, Sikhs and Dogras who had served the Crown from 1857 until 1947, adding that the regiment exists even today and the book is an important document of the British rule in India.

About the relic, the pastor said, the cathedral was in possession of one of the prized religious relics in the form of Saint Thomas Cross (known as Taxila Cross as it was unearthed during excavations in Taxila in 1935), adding that Saint Thomas was one of the 12 disciples of the Christ who came to India in the 1st AD.

He said the Tomb of Anarkali dome-like building, currently used by the Archives department, Punjab Civil Secretariat, was consecrated in 1854 as the St James Church - which was declared a pro-cathedral. He said the building was previously used by Maharaja Ranjeet Singh's son Kharak Singh as a residence as well.

Though St James church ceased to exist after the completion of the Lahore cathedral of the Resurrection, a road from Anarkali Bazar leading to the civil secretariat is still called Church Road. The cathedral is also custodian of a Faldstool used by King George V at the Tate Service of Delhi Durbar (Court of Delhi) on December 10, 1911.

Pastor Meraj said the church is also repository to six change-ringing bells which were imported from England, adding that the hand-operated bells are the only working bells in South Asia. He said, originally, seven bells were ordered but only six were dispatched for lack of funds.

Another feature of the Lahore Cathedral Church is the stained-glass windows. Though many have eroded over the past 140 years, but stained-glass windows in the ladies chapel are still intact. He said the stained-glass windows will be imported from Germany to replace the blurred ones. He said the Pipe-Organ, though out of use today, is one of the rare collections at the cathedral, adding that the pipe-organ is made up of 11,500 pipes comprising maximum 35 feet to 1.5 inches long pipes.

Walled City Lahore Authority (WCLA) Director General Kamran Lashari said the best was being done to preserve this masterpiece of Gothic architecture and an important building of Christian faith in heart of the city. He said all efforts were being made to restore the grandeur of the Lahore Cathedral of the Resurrection.