Holy Trinity Armenian Church, Tangra, Calcutta (Kolkata)

Sunday Mass

Also see my blog posts on Armenians of Calcutta (Kolkata)

Tangra, Calcutta’s (Kolkata’s) Chinatown known for its tanneries and Chinese restaurant is also the home of the Armenian Church of Holy Trinity.

L: Holy Trinity Armenian Church, Tangra, Kolkata. R: Graveyard with the church

The Armenians claimed to have settled in Calcutta (Kolkata) much before the arrival of Job Charnock. A vibrant commercial community they wanted to reestablish their socio – cultural activity in Calcutta and Bengal.

Sunday Mass at Holy Trinity Armenian Church , Tangra, Calcutta (Kolkata)

This was one of the reasons that urged them to build churches in their settlements and invite priests. The Church was considered as the centre of all community activities.

Sunday Mass at Holy Trinity Church, Tangra

In India, wherever they build settlements, they constructed churches. Today, all over India, one can find many beautiful Armenian churches, chapels and historical monuments standing as mute witnesses or silent sentinels of a once-flourishing Armenian settlement.

Today West Bengal houses 5 Armenian Churches, excluding the one at Dhaka, Bangladesh. Three of the Armenian Churches are located in Calcutta (kolkata). The small and dwindling Armenian community takes turn in celebrating their festivals and conducting their Sunday Services in different churches to keep them active.

Sunday Mass at Holy Trinity Church, Tangra

For the other two Armenian Churches in West Bengal they are opened only once a year. The St. John the Baptist Church in Chinsurah is opened on the 2nd / 3 rd Sunday of January for the Annual Pilgrimage of Calcutta (kolkata) Armenians while the St. Mary Armenian Church in Saidabad is opened in mid August for the Blessing of Grapes Ceremony.

The Holy Trinity Armenian Church in Tangra was inaugurated on 1st March 1867. It has an adjoining graveyard and the oldest grave dates back to 19th March 1867.

The Holy Trinity Armenian Church celebrated its centenary in style in March 1968 with a large number of Calcutta (Kolkata) Armenians attending the Holy Mass.

Sunday Mass at Holy Trinity Church, Tangra

After that the church was literally abandoned and left in utter neglect. It was only in 2007 the Armenian community of Calcutta (Kolkata) took up the initiative by restoring the Holy Trinity Church at Tangra.

An initiative of Rev. Fr. Oshagan Gulgulian, then Pastor of Armenian Church, India the church was reconstructed. On February 29, 2007, His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians re-consecrated the historic Armenian church of the Holy Trinity.

Since then regular masses have been held in the Holy Trinity Armenian Church and the the graveyard and the compound well maintained.

Sunday Mass at Holy Trinity Armenian Church, Tangra

On 26 April 2014 I had the opportunity of attending the Holy Mass at the Holy Trinity Church at Tangra. Lead by Rev. Fr. Geghart Ghabaghyan and with Sevil Arakelyan leading the choir it was a mesmerizing experience.

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