On the trail of a Christian Agra: A legacy of Mughal-European interactions

The modest looking Akbar's church in Agra

Among the million stories spawned by the Mughal era is one in which Emperor Jahangir ordered his entire court to wear European clothing. The reason for this is sometimes attributed to the emperor’s desire to convert to Christianity. While no conversion took place, interaction of the Mughal Emperors with European priests gave birth to a Christian presence in the former imperial city of Agra. The result is an intertwined history that is worth exploring on the eve of Christmas.

The story finds its origin with Emperor Akbar meeting some Jesuits in 1576. As a result, the ever-curious monarch wrote to the Portuguese viceroy in Goa, seeking Jesuit scholars to explain nuances of their faith. It is entirely possible that the Portuguese saw this as an opportunity to convert the most powerful king of the land.

First delegation of Jesuits reach Agra 

In the winter of 1579-80, an embassy comprising three priests Fathers Antoni de Montserrat, Rudolf Acquaviva and Francis Henrique, reached Akbar at Fatehpur Sikri. The last of them was believed to be an Armenian Muslim convert who also spoke Persian and may have acted as an interpreter. They received a warm welcome and amongst the many things they did was teaching the emperor’s children. Montserrat also accompanied Akbar on a military expedition in 1581. However, by 1583, the last of these priests departed, convinced that the emperor’s interest was limited to intellectual curiosity and not conversion.

It was around this period that land was given to build a church in Agra, the first Roman Catholic Church in the Mughal Empire. However, in 1635, conversion activities of the Christians angered the then emperor Shah Jahan and the church was demolished. Rebuilt the following year after a pardon was granted, the place witnessed its first holy mass in 1636. The next mention of the place comes in 1761, when an Afghan army under Ahmed Shah Abdali looted the church.

Though Abdali soon made his exit, the Mughals were no longer a power to be reckoned with. Their tottering ‘empire’ needed protection, and the Marathas stepped in. The Europeans too went beyond being mere traders, raising armies and governing territory. By 1803, the British replaced the Marathas as ‘protectors’ of the Mughals.

Profusion of churches in the 19th century

Between 1836 and 1858, Agra was the capital of their North-West Provinces. A steep increase in Christian population took place, resulting in a rapid growth of churches.

Amidst this shift of power, the structure currently called ‘Akbar’s Church’ was built afresh in Agra in 1772, at the same site as the original building. In a sign of the changing times, an extension of the building in 1835 was funded by Jean Baptiste Filose, a French mercenary serving as a commander in the army of Gwalior’s Daulat Rao Scindia.

An increased congregation size soon necessitated a larger church. In 1848, the Cathedral of Immaculate Conception came up next to Akbar’s Church and today, acts as the seat of the Catholic establishment in the region. The cathedral has a baroque façade. A bell tower rises above, a feature of churches from the 1840s onwards, perhaps also an indication of the rise of the hitherto subdued British.

Elsewhere in the city is St. Paul’s church, seat of the Protestant Diocese. Also dating to the 1840s, the place was popularly referred to as ‘Tin ka Girija’ due to its tin roof, replaced only a couple of decades ago with tiles. St. Paul’s is one of the best maintained churches in the city, a highlight being the painted glass windows behind the altar. Unlike the painted glass window on the bell tower, which is relatively recent, the ones behind the altar are original.

St. Paul's Church, with its magnificent bell tower.

Boileau leaves his mark

Also in Agra are the St. John’s Church and St. George’s Cathedral, both Protestant. The former lies close to a college of the same name and is accessible via a series of small lanes that suddenly gives way to this spectacular example of early English Gothic architecture. A highlight is the bell tower whose sheer height makes it appear more like a finger pointing to the sky. The St. George’s Cathedral bears the mark of the military with several stone tablets embedded into its inner walls. Each tablet commemorates a fallen soldier, many dating to the 1857 revolt and its aftermath. Both churches are the work of Colonel John Theophilus Boileau, an army engineer who came to India in 1822 while still in his teens.

In Agra’s Civil Lies is a Roman Catholic cemetery. One of the tombs within is made of red sandstone, has a dome and four minarets. In it lies Hessing, another Scindia soldier who served as commandant of Agra fort. In a strange twist to the intermingling, Hessing seems to have become more Mughal than European in his death.

Going over to Sikandra, where Emperor Akbar lies buried, we find an example of the extent to which British influence replaced that of the Mughals.

Church of St. John in Sikandra

Around 1838, the priests running the Church of St. John in the wilderness here repurposed the nearby tomb of Mariam Zamani, Akbar’s consort, to house and school children orphaned in a famine. In a way, the passage of time had accomplished what Father Antoni de Montserrat and his fellow priests set out to do.

Arjun Kumar is a heritage explorer by inclination with a penchant for seeking obscure sites. A brand consultant by profession, he tweets @HiddenHeritage. Views are personal, and do not represent the stand of this publication.