St. Paul's Cathedral was the first 'Episcopal Cathedral Church' in an oriental country. Bishop Wilson patronized the construction of this church which was designed after Indo-Gothic pattern at a cost of Rs. 5 lakhs. The foundation stone was laid in 1839. Major Forbes of the Bengal Engineers' Association made the blueprint. It was completed in 1847. A massive earthquake led to the collapse of this tower. It was renovated but in another earthquake of 1934, it was adversely affected again.

St. Paul's Cathedral has many well-preserved memorials, one of which is a stained glass panel of the west window, designed by Sir Edward Burne-Jones in 1880 to honour Lord Mayo assassinated in the Andaman Islands.

Architecture The main cathedral hall is large, with beautifully carved wooden pews and chairs along with the stained glass window to the west, the intricate coloured artwork covering the eastern walls, the two marvellous Florentine frescoes. The church is 247 ft. in length and 81 ft. in width and the tower is 201 ft. high. The Cathedral is set within huge grounds with several ancient trees. There is a small meditation spot on the grounds, set up recently in collaboration with distinguished citizens of Tagore's Shantiniketan. The interim of the church is a feast for the eyes, with excellent floral designs on the walls. Beautiful architecture and exquisite mural painting captivates the beholder. The life and work of St. Paul is vividly described in pictures. Bishop Wilson lies in his eternal slumber in a coffin inside an underground chamber. The commission plate conferred on him by Queen Victoria is still exhibited here. The ambience of the church is very soothing and tranquil.

Nearby Attraction Victory Memorial, Birla Planetarium, Nehru Children's Museum, Rabindra Sadan, Race Course and Academy of Fine Arts are very close to St. Paul's Cathedral.

Standing at the southern end of the Maidan and just to the east of Victoria Memorial is the St. Paul's Cathedral of Kolkata.