St Joseph’s Cathedral

St Joseph’s Cathedral is situated in the municipal town of Adilabad, Telanaga State, India is a world-famous church. Noted as the best cathedral church in the entire state, St. Joseph Church is visited by many locals and foreign tourists as well.

St Joseph’s church is also a very popular tourist destination and people of all religions throng to the church especially on Sundays during the time of Mass. Inside the church prevails a peaceful and meditative atmosphere that makes you feel truly at one with God. A lot many people have confessed to feeling divine intervention to their problems when they come to pray at the church. Outside the church are sprawling green gardens that add an ethereal quality to the atmosphere in the church. You can find many people sitting in the lawns and meditating or reading the Bible. Many tourists also like to spend some quality time at the church despite their hectic schedule because of the tranquility that prevails in the church.

https://www.nativeplanet.com/adilabad/attractions/st-joseph-s-cathedral/#overview

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St. Mary's Basilica

One of the most famous Catholic Churches of the city, St. Mary's Basilica is located at Sarojini Naidu  Road in the heart of Secunderabad. The decree designating it as a basilica was issued in November, 2008.

St. Mary's Church is the oldest Roman Catholic church in the city of Secunderabad, India.

The church has four bells, which were brought from Italy in 1901. One of the bells is reported to have developed cracks.

It was formerly the Cathedral of the Archdiocese of Hyderabad. It is dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary.

Adjacent to the church is the convent of St. Ann's which runs the St. Ann's High School, Secunderabad.

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St Joseph's Cathedral, Hyderabad

St Joseph's Cathedral is a Roman Catholic Cathedral located at Gunfoundry, north of Abids and King Kothi, in  Hyderabad, Telangana State, India.

It is the cathedral of the Archdiocese of Hyderabad and one of the most beautiful churches of Hyderabad and Secunderabad cities of Telangana, India.

Established in 1820 AD, the construction of the present structure began in 1869 when Fr. Antonio Tagliabue of the Pontifical Institute for Foreign Missions (PIME) bought an extensive plot of land near Chaderghat, in what is now called Gunfoundry(so named for the ammunition centre built there by the Nizam of Hyderabad), to build a school, a church and a convent. Msgr. Pietro Caprotti (Pontifical Institute for Foreign Missions), laid its foundation on 18 March 1870, the eve of the Solemnity of St. Joseph. Fr. Luigi Malberti (Pontifical Institute for Foreign Missions), took charge in 1872 and completed the main building, which was consecrated and opened for divine worship on Christmas Eve of 1875.

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Dornakal Church

Dornakal, one of the sleepy towns in the district, is known for two things. One is the railway junction

which connects South India; the other is the Epiphany cathedral of the Dornakal diocese.

The Cathedral Church of Epiphany of Our Lord, popularly known as Dornakal Church that celebrated its centenary two years ago, is still holding light for millions of poor spread across the country.

“The construction of this church was initiated in 1912 and it was dedicated in 1945. This was initiated by the first Anglican bishop, V.S. Asaraiah, who is more popular in the United Kingdom for his missionary work,” says the Bishop of Dornakal Diocese, Vadapally Prasada Rao.

But unfortunately he died in an accident in 1945. It was here that the movement for Church of South India began and fructified in 1947. 

He strongly believed in forming a communion of our own instead of the Anglican Communion and strived for it.  Ever since he came to Dornakal as a missionary, he strove for the poor. Making a modest beginning, the Dornakal Church now runs a degree college, six high schools, including one for the hearing and speech impaired, 25 hostels and child care centres, 11 primary schools, the St. Mary’s Hospital at Khammam and the Bishop Whitehead Hospital at Dornakal. It is into many social welfare projects as well.

“There is lot of demand for admission to the hostel and school for the speech and hearing impaired, and we have people from all religions here — Hindus, Christians and Muslims. We do not go by caste or religion but only by need,” Right Reverend Bishop Prasada Rao says.

Through its architecture and activities, this church has endeared itself to many. It is a symbol of hope for the tribal people and the poor cutting across religions. The architecture of the church reflects the essence of all religions — the front portion is similar to temples with choultry-like structure; its two minarets resemble a mosque and the interior architecture is typically Christian. On a closer look, it resembles the Madurai Meenakshi temple, certain portions of which have been replicated here.

The church is famous worldwide, as the only church which is constructed with indo-saracenic architecture where religious structures of various religions can be seen. And also because of its architect Bishop Vedanayagam Samuel Azariah who is also the first Indian bishop in the churches of the Anglican Communion. He is considered as a pioneer of Christian ecumenism in India.

Christmas is celebrated on a grand note here. People from across the globe visit the church and take part in the prayers this time of the year.

The diocese mainly covers the pastorates in Warangal, Nalgonda, and East Godavari and Khammam districts and also has churches in Odisha state constituting to about 1,000 churches. The diocese also runs missionary schools and colleges under it.

The present bishop of the church, Rt. Rev. Dr Vadapalli Prasada Rao, said the church is run completely with Indian funds since its construction and to this day does not receive any foreign funds to keep Bishop Azariah’ idea of running churches in India independent of the Anglican Communion. With Christmas just few days away, the bishop, in his Christmas message hoped for peace in the nation and explained that God created Jesus to restore divinity to his creation.

The Dornakal Church is affiliated to the Church of Canterbury in England. It does not receive any foreign funds but raises it through local charity and donations to run its activities.



http://www.deccanchronicle.com/151221/nation-current-affairs/article/epiphany-church-stands-pride-dornakal-town


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diocese_of_Dornakal_of_the_Church_of_South_India

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Medak Cathedral

25th December 1924 :  Constructed by Reverend Charles Walker Posnett during British Rule of India.

From 1914 to 1924 the farmers toiled to erect the church and Thomas Edward Harding, the architect, left no stone unturned in building the cathedral.

Located in the Medak Town about 90kms from Hyderabad, Telangana.

The Medak diocese, under the Church of South India (CSI) is the single largest diocese in Asia and the second in the world after Vatican.

The significance of the church is not only in its magnificence but also in the bond between poor and church. During World War-I, in late 1890s the district reeled under a famine. Moved by the plight of people, Rev. Charles Walker Posnett, proposed to build a great church in the year 1914. He evolved the 'food for work' programme so that the poor could find gainful employment. The villagers contributed to building the church, they could in turn earn food. That set the ball rolling for this renowned Gothic structure

Built on an extensive scale in pure white granite, this gothic style structure the magnificent Medak church stands on a sprawling 1000 acres of land. It took ten years to complete the monumental piece of architecture. With its massive dimensions, 100 ft width and 200 ft. length, the church can accommodate as many as 5000 people at a time. The 173 feet tall main tower is surrounded by four pinnacles. If it hadn't been for the Nizam, the church would have been taller. Old-timers say that when the cathedral was to be built, the Nizam had one condition, that the church should not be taller than the historic Charminar of Hyderabad.

Stained Glass Work:

What sets the Church apart are the three stained glass windows, created by Sir Frank O' Salisbury of London. They constitute 'the gospel trilogy' in art - the nativity, the crucifixion and the ascension. The stained glass work on the huge windows of the church offers a spectacular view during the daytime, which cannot be replicated by artificial lighting. This is the most fascinating feature of the church. It serves as a picture book on the Bible to those who cannot read. Each window is made up of small bits of painted glass which has been placed into a single piece and then delicately set into the stone windows.

All the stained glass windows have inscriptions in English, Hindi and Telugu. The Hindi inscription came later, at the instance of Vijaylakshmi Pandit, sister of Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, who felt that the national language must find a mention on the stained glass.
The three magnifcent stained glass windows inside the cathedral depict different phases of Lord Jesus Chirsts life. The window to the north which offers a canopy to the altar is very fascinating. It depicts the scene of assertion of Jesus towering above the altar, dwarfing everything as Jesus ascends to heaven.

The other two windows decorating the East and West facades depict the scene of the birth of Jesus and his crucifixion. The bells cast especially for the church can be heard from far off.

Sir Frank Owen Salisbury (1874-1962) a Methodist artist from Harpenden in Hertfordshire, who specialised in portraits, large canvases of historical and ceremonial events, did the art work. Salisbury was known as "Britain's Painter Laureate" and his work was steadfastly conservative.

For the floor, tiles from famous potteries were shipped from England. Then, Italian workmen were brought from Bombay to lay them. The tile's design is an intricate one in six colours - red, brown, black, yellow, chocolate and grey.

The roof has been cast to ensure best acoustics and sound proof made by hollow sponge material to have an impressive style of vaulting. With its immensity and beauty, this century old church stands out as one of the finest examples of Gothic architecture in India.

Making the Medak diocese one of the biggest in the world, there are several educational, health and social institutions in the sprawling church compound. They include a B.Ed college, a junior college, hostels for boys and girls, an old age home, an office to take care of properties and an agricultural centre. There were also a hundred-bed hospital and a seminary to train pastors.

http://www.csimedakdiocese.in

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medak_Cathedral

http://www.newsonair.nic.in/medak-cathedral.asp

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