Encroachments and land acquisition over years have robbed the beauty of the 200-year-old Church of St John the Baptist in Secunderabad.
The magnificent church, the first to be constructed in the twin cities in 1813, once stood on 100 acres, a stone’s throwaway from Secunderabad railway station. Today, the land has shrunk to mere two acres.
St John’s Church, built in `cruciform structure’, is a living testimony to the splendor of Tuscan architecture of Italy . It lost a large portion of land during the last road widening a few years ago. Further extension of road will damage the structure.
Just before India became free in 1947, the Cantonment granted 100 acres to the church, which was controlled by Indian Church Society , Calcutta. The Secunderabad Cantonment, which was under the control of British till February 1947, was returned to the Nizam VII, Mir Osman Ali Khan, as part of the `retrocession’ agreement. However, much of land has been lost to public utilities and unauthorised occupation.
The church lost a major portion of land to road widening. An acre was allotted to St John’s Church High School (behind the Church), another acre was allotted for lawn development as well as for widows’ quarters.
The church authorities do not have records to claim lost land. “For want of clear documents, we are not able to recover land unauthorisedly taken from the church.The church does not have land records dating back to the British era,” the church authorities told Times of India
The church, built for British forces based in Secunderabad, has the altar to the east, nave and aisles going towards the west and two transepts on either side. A high roof is supported by round columns finished in Mughal plaster and huge Rangoon teak arches over the columns.
A stained glass window depicting John the Baptist, is fixed above the altar. The pews are made of teak wood and a few are nearly 30-foot long. The church received electricity way back in 1914.
A great pipe organ was installed in 1904 and is still working. Probably , this is the only pipe organ in twin cities which is being used regularly. Dr Theo Comfort, an army veteran, played on this magnificent organ for over 62 years. He was awarded a doctorate by the Royal College of Sacred Music, London The church received INTACH Heritage Building Award in 1998. India Post released a commemora tive stamp and a special cover on St John’s Church. Presbyter Rev B Shanthi Kumar Moses is in charge of the church.
There are two more churches in Secunderabad -Holy Trinity Church in Bolarum and All Saints Church in Trimulghery -that received the heritage tag. Land parcels attached to these churches are, however, free of encroachments as both churches are located in defence establishments. The Holy Trinity Church, also known as the Queen’s Church, is a medium-sized church built in the Victorian Gothic style. Queen Victoria spent her personal money in construction of the church in 1847. The Nizam government donated nearly five acres to the church.”The church serves about 400 families.The Army has blocked the road leading to the church from the main road,” said authorities.
The All Saints’ Church, built in 1860, stands as a classical representation of Gothic architecture. The titled roof underlaid with teak ceiling is supported by 14 massive columns surrounded by cornice.
The main entrance at the west end is guarded by two massive Gothic doors 15foot tall and eight feet wide.The Church authorities spent Rs 10 lakh to preserve the 148-year-old structure.
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