Restored after decades, Kashmir's oldest church welcomes revelers on Christmas

By Nusrat Sidiq

SRINAGAR, Jammu and Kashmir (AA) – This Christmas has been a little more joyous for Christians in Srinagar, the capital of Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir.

As Saturday dawned, final preparations were being made for the first Christmas prayers in almost four decades at the 125-year-old St. Luke’s Church.

Nestled in the foothills of the Shankarya Hill in Srinagar’s Durgjan area, the foundation stone of the historic church was laid in September 1888 by two brothers and Christian missionary doctors, Arthur and Ernest Neve.

It opened to the public in September 1896 and served Srinagar’s Christian community for nearly a century until the 1990s, when it was closed due to the rising Kashmiri insurgency against Indian rule.

With decades of disrepair undone by renovation that started last year, the church was officially reopened earlier this week, its tolling bells breaking a silence of nearly 40 years.

The restoration work was done by local artisans and experts, mostly from the region’s Muslim community.

“This is a moment of immense happiness for our community. We have gathered here for Christmas prayers after almost 40 years,” Reverend Eric, the priest in charge of St. Luke’s, told Anadolu Agency.

According to the last census in Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir, there were some 35,600 Christians in the disputed Himalayan region in 2011, with just about 2,500 in Srinagar.

On a cold winter morning, cheerful smiles and embraces brought a warm glow to the Gothic-style church.

As members of Srinagar’s small Christian community turned up for Christmas prayers decked in their finest attire, some Muslim youngsters also arrived to join in the festivities, a fitting ode to the diversity of Kashmir and its people.

“It has taken eight years of efforts by our community, our friends and the administration, but finally the day we were waiting for is here,” Reverend Eric said with a beaming smile.