Christ Church Kasauli

Christ Church in Kasauli is the oldest church in Himachal Pradesh, established in 1853. Dedicated to St. Francis and St. Barnabas, this neo-Gothic Anglican church features imported stained glass windows from London and a cemetery with graves dating back to the 1850s. Located near the bus stand on Mall Road, it represents colonial-era architecture and serves as a significant heritage landmark in the hill station.

Visitors can expect to see a well-preserved 19th-century neo-Gothic church with distinctive gray stone architecture. The interior features beautiful stained glass windows depicting Christ, Mary, Saint Barnabas, and Saint Francis, imported from England. A clock tower with a sundial adorns the front. The church grounds include a historic cemetery with tombstones from the 1850s and earlier, surrounded by pine and deodar trees offering serene mountain views.

Christ Church was established on July 25, 1853, making it the oldest church in Himachal Pradesh. It was founded by Chaplain Thomas John Edward Steel, a Cambridge graduate, to serve the British families who established Kasauli town. The foundation was laid in 1842. Originally an Anglican Church, it came under the Church of North India (CNI), diocese of Amritsar, in 1970. The church was revered as a holy place by the Bishop of Calcutta in 1857.

The church represents the colonial heritage of Kasauli and early Christian presence in the Himalayan region. It serves as a place of worship for the local Christian community and stands as an architectural testament to British-era construction in the hills. The cemetery preserves historical records of early residents through tombstones dating to the 1850s.