Daily Times

Travelling over the green hills and twisting roads of Abbottabad, I came across an interesting signage of St Luke’s Church that amazed me and I made my way over to this church after asking a few traffic wardens about its exact location.

Finally I reached my destination. St Luke’s Church is almost 200 years old and was built during the British regime in Abbottabad. I was struck by the grand imposing structure of the church. I landed at the gate and a security guard came out telling me that it is not open to the public. I inquired how I could see the church and he was kind enough to make me talk to the pastor who allowed me to visit it.

I entered the church and it reminded me of similar churches I had seen in Europe, especially England. It was a similar built. I parked my car inside the lush green lawns with parking in a corner and began my journey to explore the Church.

I got to know from the locals that St Luke’s Church was an Anglican church, dedicated to Saint Luke and was now under the control of the Peshawar Diocese of the Church of Pakistan. It was founded in 1864 when the British were ruling the area. I read about St Luke and got to know that he was known as Luke the Evangelist and is one of the Four Evangelists who were the four traditionally ascribed authors of the canonical Gospels. It is also said that the Early Church Fathers ascribed to him authorship of both the Gospel of Luke and the Acts of the Apostles, which would mean Luke contributed over a quarter of the text of the New Testament, more than any other author. The Roman Catholic Church and other major denominations venerate him as Saint Luke the Evangelist and as a patron saint of artists, physicians, bachelors, surgeons, students and butchers. This church in Abbottabad was also named after the St Luke.

If you see the church, you will surely realise its age and the construction style also tells that it is a typical colonial construction. According to the history of this Church it is said that the construction of St Luke’s was carried out somewhere in 1854-55. It is said that the construction faced delays due to slow fund-raising and then a brief interruption due to the Indian Rebellion of 1857 and it was completed and then consecrated by the Bishop of Calcutta in 1864. Interestingly at that time the jurisdiction of this Church covered most of the Hazara region including Abbottabad itself, Haripur, Mansehra and the Galyat hill tracts.

According to the historical chronicles it is said that from June 1947 to April 1948, because of the disturbances and riots during the Independence of Pakistan the St Luke’s Church was closed and regular services resumed only when the Revd Daniel Rashid, at Peshawar, was given additional visiting charge of Abbottabad and Hazara. He was later replaced by the Revd JH Hewitt in 1951 and then by a local curate, ZK Daniels, who was raised to the Chaplaincy in 1965.

Later in the 1970s, the Church of Pakistan was established through a union of Anglicans, Scottish Presbyterians, United Methodists and Lutherans and after that the St Luke’s Church was formally placed under its new Peshawar Diocese. Since then, full-time clerics have been appointed regularly to minister to the local congregation. This is an operational Church now and regular prayers and services are held there.

I got to know from the locals that St Luke’s Church was an Anglican church, dedicated to Saint Luke and was now under the control of the Peshawar Diocese of the Church of Pakistan. It was founded in 1864 when the British were ruling the area

Let me tell you another interesting fact. The Old Christian Cemetery, Abbottabad, was also attached to this Church and the cemetery was established in 1853 when James Abbott founded Abbottabad town itself. For quite a long time it remained the main Christian cemetery in the town and for the nearby Galyat hill tracts and was later attached to St. Luke’s Church, Abbottabad when it was completed in 1864. So there is a Christian Cemetery in Abbottabad and that is a mark of footprints of British ruling the place and Sir Abbot James founding this city.

It is said that the cemetery has several interesting old graves and memorials. Most of these have Frontier military campaigns’ connections and significance for military historians, including the graves or tombs of Major Hugh Rees James, Major Leigh Richmond Battye and Colonel A W Crookshank, as well as others. The Reverend Henry Fisher Corbyn, of the Bengal Ecclesiastical Establishment, who spent long years here as Vicar, and who had previously served in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, and established a ‘charitable home’ there at Ross Island is also buried there. Lady Julia Helen Palmer first wife of General Sir Arthur Power Palmer, a former Commander-in-Chief, India is also buried in the same cemetery.

While visiting the Church you feel a sense of serenity and calmness in the air. It is no doubt a mesmerising site and the structure is grand and imposing one surrounded by greenery. I was not visiting on a Sunday or Friday therefore I could not go inside the Church. I remained there for hour or so and kept admiring the built and how well it is maintained by the government.

It is made with heavy stones and gives an impression of power which this place had in old British times. Birds while sitting on the tower of the church gave a scenic view and then the clouds with blue sky added to the beauty of this grey structure.

I got to know that the church was opened for regular services only but I think this should’ve been a tourist spot as well because of its rich history. I couldn’t see any history plaque there or maybe it was inside the church but I think some material should be written outside the church so that visitors and tourists can have an insight to the history of this marvellous and mind blowing church.

The writer can be reached at taniashahab2016@gmail.com