St. John in the Wilderness is a Protestant church dedicated to John the Baptist. It was built in 1852 and is located near Dharamshala, India, on the way to

McLeod Ganj McLeod Ganj, also spelt McLeodganj, (pronounced ''Mc-loud-gunj'') is a suburb of Dharamshala in the Kangra district of Himachal Pradesh, India. It is known as "Little Lhasa" or "Dhasa" (a short form of Dharamshala used mainly by Tibetans) because ...

, at Forsyth Gunj. Set amidst deodar forest, and built in neo-Gothic architecture, the Church is known for its Belgian stained-glass windows donated by Lady Elgin (Mary Louisa Lambton), wife of

Lord Elgin Earl of Elgin is a title in the Peerage of Scotland, created in 1633 for Thomas Bruce, 3rd Lord Kinloss. He was later created Baron Bruce, of Whorlton in the County of York, in the Peerage of England on 30 July 1641. The Earl of Elgin is the h ...

. The Church is under Diocese of Amritsar. Rev.Ajay Singh is the presbyter in charge of this church Though the church structure survived the

1905 Kangra earthquake The 1905 Kangra earthquake occurred in the Kangra Valley and the Kangra region of the Punjab Province (modern day Himachal Pradesh) in India on 4 April 1905. The earthquake measured 7.8 on the surface wave magnitude scale and killed more th ...

, which killed close to 19,800 people, injured thousands in the Kangra area, and destroyed most buildings in Kangra,

Mcleod Ganj McLeod Ganj, also spelt McLeodganj, (pronounced ''Mc-loud-gunj'') is a suburb of Dharamshala in the Kangra district of Himachal Pradesh, India. It is known as "Little Lhasa" or "Dhasa" (a short form of Dharamshala used mainly by Tibetans) because ...

and Dharamshala; its spire,

Bell tower A bell tower is a tower that contains one or more bells, or that is designed to hold bells even if it has none. Such a tower commonly serves as part of a Christian church, and will contain church bells, but there are also many secular bell tower ...

, was destroyed. Later, a new bell, cast in 1915 by Mears and Stainbank, was brought from England and installed outside in the compound of the church.Tourism History
'' Kangra district'' Official website.

Memorial

Its churchyard is the final resting place of

, who served as Governor General of the Province of Canada, oversaw the creation of responsible government in Canada, and later, while in China, ordered the complete destruction of the Old Summer Palace. He became Governor-General & Viceroy of India in 1861 during the British Raj, though he soon died at Dharamshala on 20 November 1863, and was buried there.

Gallery

Image:Stjohnsign.JPG, Church of St. John in the Wilderness. Despite the sign, Sunday services as of 12 Sep 2010 were at 10am in English and 11:30am in Hindi. Image:Stjohnwilderstainglass.JPG, Stained glass window inside the church Image:St. John in the Wilderness churchyard, McLeod Ganj, India - September 2014.jpg, The churchyard

Other church

There is a church by the same name in Nainital as well, built in 1844.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Saint John in the Wilderness Anglican church buildings in India Churches completed in 1852 19th-century Anglican church buildings Gothic Revival church buildings in India Buildings and structures in Dharamshala Churches in Himachal Pradesh 1852 establishments in India British-era buildings in Himachal Pradesh