Akbar's Church also known as ''Church of Akbar'' is a

Roman Catholic Church The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

, built in 1600 by Jesuit Fathers, situated in

Agra Agra ( ) is a city on the banks of the Yamuna river in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, about south-east of the national capital Delhi and 330 km west of the state capital Lucknow. With a population of roughly 1.6 million, Agra is the ...

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

History

Mughal Emperor The emperors of the Mughal Empire, who were all members of the Timurid dynasty (House of Babur), ruled the empire from its inception on 21 April 1526 to its dissolution on 21 September 1857. They were supreme monarchs of the Mughal Empire in ...

Akbar the Great Akbar (Jalal-ud-din Muhammad Akbar, – ), popularly known as Akbar the Great, was the third Mughal emperor, who reigned from 1556 to 1605. Akbar succeeded his father, Humayun, under a regent, Bairam Khan, who helped the young emperor exp ...

invited Jesuit priests from

Portuguese Goa The State of India, also known as the Portuguese State of India or Portuguese India, was a state of the Portuguese Empire founded seven years after the discovery of the sea route to the Indian subcontinent by Vasco da Gama, a subject of the ...

so that he could learn more about

Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion, which states that Jesus in Christianity, Jesus is the Son of God (Christianity), Son of God and Resurrection of Jesus, rose from the dead after his Crucifixion of Jesus, crucifixion, whose ...

. So, Father Rodolfe Aquauiua, the Father and the Father Francois Henriques reached Agra on 18 February 1580. Akbar learnt about Christianity and gave land to Jesuit fathers to build a church in Agra. This was the first

in the

Mughal Empire The Mughal Empire was an Early modern period, early modern empire in South Asia. At its peak, the empire stretched from the outer fringes of the Indus River Basin in the west, northern Afghanistan in the northwest, and Kashmir in the north, to ...

. After

Akbar Akbar (Jalal-ud-din Muhammad Akbar, – ), popularly known as Akbar the Great, was the third Mughal emperor, who reigned from 1556 to 1605. Akbar succeeded his father, Humayun, under a regent, Bairam Khan, who helped the young emperor expa ...

it was his son

Jahangir Nur-ud-din Muhammad Salim (31 August 1569 – 28 October 1627), known by his imperial name Jahangir (; ), was List of emperors of the Mughal Empire, Emperor of Hindustan from 1605 until his death in 1627, and the fourth Mughal emperors, Mughal ...

who donated for further expansion of the Church. Khwaja Martins and Mirza Sikandar Junior too contributed for the expansion. The church was demolished by Emperor

Shah Jahan Shah Jahan I, (Shahab-ud-Din Muhammad Khurram; 5 January 1592 – 22 January 1666), also called Shah Jahan the Magnificent, was the Emperor of Hindustan from 1628 until his deposition in 1658. As the fifth Mughal emperor, his reign marked the ...

in 1635, after he captured Jesuit Priests crossing religious limits of Islam and agreed to release them only if they demolish the Church. The Church was rebuilt in 1636 by the permission of

after the pardon of Jesuits. First Holy Mass was celebrated in the Church on 8 September 1636. In 1761, in the aftermath of the

Third Battle of Panipat The Third Battle of Panipat took place on 14 January 1761 between the Maratha Empire and the invading army of the Durrani Empire. The battle took place in and around the city of Panipat, approximately north of Delhi. The Afghan (ethnonym), Af ...

the church was looted by Afghan Invaders under

Ahmed Shah Abdali Ahmad Shāh Durrānī (; ; – 4 June 1772), also known as Ahmad Shāh Abdālī (), was the first ruler and founder of the Durrani Empire. He is often regarded as the founder of modern Afghanistan. Throughout his reign, Ahmad Shah fought ov ...

. In 1769, the church was rebuilt by Father Wendel S.J. with the help of Walter Reinhardt, Commander of Agra Fort. Bishop Antonino Pezzoni, O.F.M. Cap. extended the church westward with the contribution from Jean Baptiste Filose in 1835.

Historic events

* In 1610, three Royal Princes, nephews of Emperor Jahangir, Tahmuras (Don Felipe), Baisanghar (Don Carlos) and Hoshang (Don Henrique), having been catechized by Fr. Corsi, S.J., were baptized by Fr. Jerome Xavier S.J. in this Church. * Begum Johana Sumroo, the Begum of Sardhana was baptized in this Church. * Akbar's Church was the Cathedral of Agra until 1848. * In 1842, Religious of Jesus and Mary from

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

were welcomed by Bishop Borghi in the same Church. * In 1843, Bishop Borghi consecrated Msgr. Carli Bishop of Almira. * In 1846, Servant of God Bishop Anastasius Hartmann was consecrated Vicar Apostolic of Patna.
Church_of_Akbar_1

References

{{reflist Roman Catholic cathedrals in India Roman Catholic churches in Uttar Pradesh Church buildings with domes Tourist attractions in Agra Cathedrals in Uttar Pradesh 17th-century Roman Catholic bishops in India

History

Historic events

See also

References