Visakhapatnam :
St Joseph’s Church inside the premises of St Joseph’s College for women was built in 1903. The church was originally consecrated as a chapel for the St Joseph’s sisters who used to reside at the abbey in Gnanapuram. It was later converted into a church to accommodate other members of the Christian community.
Gnanapuram originally began as a settlement and was reclaimed by the Roman Catholic Mission which commenced operations in Visakhapatnam in 1847. Slowly, a large colony spread around the area and even today, a vast majority of the residents of Gnanapuram are Christians, chiefly Roman Catholic.
St Joseph’s Abbey in the premises is a unique structure and built in typical Neo-Gothic style with soaring arches and a high roof. The structure (the church) is typically European in architectural style with massive arches supported by columns which in turn supporting the roof. Built entirely of stone, it is uniquely French in style with the tiles and stained glass windows imported from France.
According to heritage expert Edward Paul, the structure is unlike most other churches in South India. “As far as the church is concerned, it is uniquely European in feature and character. There is not a hint of local colonial architectural influence on the church.”
However, regarding the abbey, Edward Paul observed that the colonial influence was quite strong. He pointed out that the second floor or the upper portion of the abbey was tiled with beautiful wood work and added that much of the wood was imported from Burma.
History buff BS Mahesh said, “The abbey is probably the largest in Vizag with three main wings and attached smaller wings. He observed that this was structure much larger than the district collectorate and spread over a combined plinth of 60 to 70 thousand square feet.”
Local residents of Gnanapuram observed that this church and abbey once so beautifully located are now situated in one of the most polluted areas of the city. K Joseph, an engineer and resident of the area, said, “The pollution from the port and the factories around have done much damage to the church and abbey. It is unfortunate that the beautiful stained glass work and the interiors of the church suffer due to severe particulate pollution.”
A former student of St Joseph’s and now housewife B Kameswari said, “When I was in college student in the early 1960s, it used to be a lovely sight. Today, whenever I pass by, I feel sad that all the pollution around has taken a toll on the structure.”
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News Home> City> Visakhapatnam / TNN / January 14th, 2016