History
:
The churches in Dhaka are truly a
great attraction of the city which has been drawing loads of tourists
from all corners of the world. The visitors always enjoy a great time
in visiting the churches of the city. The best of the lot in the city
is the Armenian Church which was built in 1781 A.D. this is
one of the churches of the city which still remains functional. The
Armenian Church is comparatively smaller than the other present
across the globe, but the beauty and the grandeur of the church is
unmatched. The church is located in one of the narrow back
streets of old Dhaka.
Before the church was
built, the site was an Armenian graveyard. Agaminus Catachik an
Armenian gave away the place to build the church. There is a hearsay
that, "Michel Cerkess, Okotavata Setoor Sevorg, Aga Amnius and
Merkers Poges helped to build the church. Johan Kerupieath Cerkess,
also Armenian, built a clock house beside the church. There is a
rumour about the clock stating that, "The sound of the clock can
be heard from four miles away. People match their watch's time with
the church clock by hearing the bell's sound. In 1880 the clock
stopped and in the earthquake of 1897 the clockhouse was destroyed.
In Dhaka, in the old Armenian graveyard there is a grave of the Armenian Catachik Avatik Thomas. The grave has a statue on, His wife bought it from Kolkata for the specific purpose of placing the statue on his grave. She mentioned her husband as the "Best Of Husbands" in the epitaph.
Archbishop of the
Armenians
This church has architectural consequences. Its plan is rectangular. It has arched gate and arched door. There are 4 doors and 27 windows in the church. The church is 750 feet long and the entry passage is 14 feet wide. The main square tower is into the 15 feet of the plan. The hall's floor is divided into 3 parts: firstly, a pulpit enclosed by railings, a middle section with two folding doors, and finally an area separated by a wooden fence where women and children were seated. There is a spiral staircase into the church.
Mother Teresa
stayed in this church during her Dhaka visit.There are no longer any
Armenians in Bangladesh. Most of the time the church remain closed.
Armenian Inscription
The church draws a small
yet enthusiastic crowd. The churches are a place to enjoy the
tranquility of heaven amidst the hustles and bustles of the city. The
church is the place which supports a small Christian community from
the different countries. The original founders of the church, the
Armenians were the one's dealing with Bengal's jute and leather
trade. Presently they have almost vanished.Now There are no
longer any Armenians in Bangladesh.
