Excelsior Correspondent
Srinagar, Nov 15: The famous Khatamband and Devar stones of Kashmir are being utilized in the renovation of Srinagar’s oldest church, St. Lukes Church, as authorities prepare to restore its former splendour ahead of Christmas this year.
The church’s ceiling is being designed with famed Kashmiri Khatamband work, and the flooring will be remodeled with “Devar” stones. The century-old church in Dalgate area is being repaired as part of the government of Jammu and Kashmir’s “Preservation and Maintenance of Architecture and Heritage” program.
The Government’s rehabilitation effort has rekindled the hopes that the oldest church would once again be open for devotees to offer prayers. Members of the community held prayers in the highly-secured Church Lane at Sonwar in Srinagar after the church was closed due to militancy.
Masons, carpenters, craftsmen, and labourers are busy working to restore the stone and brick masonry construction that had been decaying for decades. They informed that they are repairing the gaps between the structure’s bricks with the same material used during construction to restore it to its original shape.
The Government has devised an action plan titled “Scheme for Revival, Restoration, Preservation, and Maintenance of Architecture and Heritage” to restore the grandeur of religious sites, historic structures, and monuments in the Union Territory.
Until the 1990s, the church’s doors remained open, with dozens of members of the Christian community holding regular prayers and the annual Christmas mass drawing a large crowd. However, due to closure and lack of worshipers, the church went silent with the passage of time and the changing circumstances.
The foundation stone erected by Dr. Earnest and Dr. Arthur Neve, “To The Glory of God” and “As A Witness To Kashmir” was dedicated by “The Bishop of Lahore” on September 12, 1896.
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