Array
(
[0] => Array
(
[name] => Armenian Church
[post_id] => 1413
[post_link] => http://offroadbangladesh.com/places/armenian-church/
[thumb_link] => http://offroadbangladesh.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/14688097-300x225.jpg
[post_content] =>
The evidence says about Armenian community in the region during 17th to 18th century and their existence. Armenian Church was build in 1781 on Armenian Street in Armanitola. The site was an American graveyard before before the church built. Agaminus Catachik, an Armenian, gave away the land to build the church. Michel Cerkess, Okotavata Setoor Sevorg, Aga Amnius, and Merkers Poges helped build the church.
Mother Teresa stayed in this church during a visit to Dhaka.
In the old graveyard, among the 350 people buried there, a statue stands at the grave of Catachik Avatik Thomas, portraying his wife. The statue was bought from Kolkata and the grave is inscribed with the words "Best of Husband." Following the domination of their homeland by Persian powers of the time, Armenians were sent by their new rulers to the Bengal region for both political and economic reasons. Although the Armenian presence in South Asia is now insignificant, their presence in Dhaka dates back to the 17th century. Armenians came to Dhaka for business, and have been acknowledged for displaying a passion for trade comparable to that of the Bengalis of the time. In Dhaka, Armenian merchants traded in jute and leather, and profitability in these businesses convinced some to move permanently to Bangladesh. The area where they lived became known as Armanitola.
In 1781 the now famous Armenian Church was built on Armenian Street in Armanitola, then a thriving business district. The site was an Armenian graveyard before the church was built, and the tombstones that have survived serve as a chronicle of Armenian life in the area. Agaminus Catachik, an Armenian, gave away the land to build the church. Michel Cerkess, Okotavata Setoor Sevorg, Aga Amnius, and Merkers Poges helped build the church.
In the fifty years following the church's construction, a clock tower was erected on its western side. Allegedly, the clock could be heard four miles away, and people synchronized their watches with the sound of the tower's bell. The clock stopped in 1880, and an earthquake destroyed the tower in 1897. The Armenian played a prominent part in the jute trade in Dhaka and are reputed to be the pioneers of that trade in the second half of the 19th century. Today, the last Armenian that takes cares of the church is Mikhail Hopcef Martirossian (Micheal Joseph Martin). He was also one of the Armenian who was in the jute trade.
)
[1] => Array
(
[name] => {:en}Ranikhong Church{:}{:bn}রানীখং গির্জা{:}
[post_id] => 5202
[post_link] => http://offroadbangladesh.com/places/ranikhong-church/
[thumb_link] => http://offroadbangladesh.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/ranikhong-church-Anowar-Hossain1-300x225.jpg
[post_content] => {:en}
Missionary activities are highly seen around the place where the tribal people lives. Durgapur Thana (দুর্গাপুর থানা) accommodates two tribal sect, Hajong (হাজং) and Garo (গারো). So it is obvious you'll see church/mission at Durgapur Thana (দুর্গাপুর থানা). On the way to the Bijoypur BDR camp you'll find a church named Ranikhong (রানীখং).
Ranikhong Church was built somewhere around 1910-1915. Initially few people from the village went to the Bishop at Dhaka so that they can have a missionary at their village. But for logistic support and others, the Bishop wasn't able to comply with them. But he took few initiatives that helped the next Bishop to establish the church successfully there.
The church is located over a small hillock beside the river Shomeswari (সোমেশ্বরী). The place is tranquil and you'd love to enjoy the picturesque view of the river beneath the hillock. Stay there as long as you want, no one going hinder your will there.
{:}{:bn}
সাধারণত আদিবাসীদের বসবাসের স্থানের আশেপাশে মিশনারিজদের কর্মকাণ্ড ভালভাবে পরিলক্ষিত হয়। দুর্গাপুর থানায় আদিবাসী হাজং সম্প্রদায় এবং গারো সম্প্রদায়ের বসবাসের কারনে এখানে বেশ কিছু গির্জা রয়েছে। বিজয়পুর বিজিবি ক্যাম্পে যাওয়ার পথে রানীখং গির্জা আপনার চোখে পরবে। সম্ভবত ১৯১০ সাল থেকে ১৯১৫ সালের মধ্যে এই গির্জাটি নির্মিত হয়েছিল। এখান থেকে কিছু মানুষ ঢাকায় বিশপের কাছে গিয়ে তাদের গ্রামে মিশনারিজ চেয়ে অনুরোধ করেছিল। তবে দুর্গম যোগাযোগ ব্যবস্থা ও অন্যান্য কারনে বিশপ তাদের অনুরোধ রক্ষা করতে পারেননি। তবে তিনি কিছু পদক্ষেপ নিয়েছিলেন যেকারনে পরবর্তী বিশপ এখানে সফলতার সাথে গির্জা স্থাপনে সমর্থ হন। সোমেশ্বরী নদীর পাশে একটি ছোট পাহাড়ের উপর এই গির্জাটি অবস্থিত। এখানকার শান্ত পরিবেশে পাহাড়ের পাদদেশে নদীর নয়নাভিরাম সৌন্দর্য আপনাকে মুগ্ধ করবে। এখানে আপনি যতক্ষণ চাইবেন থাকতে পারেবেন।
{:}
)
[2] => Array
(
[name] => Saint Nicholas Church
[post_id] => 3540
[post_link] => http://offroadbangladesh.com/places/saint-nicholas-church/
[thumb_link] => http://offroadbangladesh.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/St.-Nicholas-Church-by-Abrar-Razzak-300x201.jpg
[post_content] =>
In 1695, Saint Nicholas Church of Tolentino was constructed at Nagori, 25 kilometres northeast of Dhaka. In 1764, Portuguese missionaries built a church at Padrishibpur in Barisal district. Another Portuguese church was built at Hashnabad, 30 kilometers southwest of Dhaka, in 1777. In 1682, there were 14,120 Roman Catholics in the Bangladesh territory.
As the Bangladeshi Muslims have Arabic and Persian surnames, so do the Portuguese-converted Catholics have Portuguese surnames, such as Gomes, Rozario, DRozario, Cruze, DCruze, Dores, DSilva, DSouza, Costa, DCosta, Palma, Pinheiro, Pereira Rego, Ribeiro, Rodrigues, Serrao, Gonsalves, Corraya, etc. To recognize Catholics by names, the missionaries used to give one Christian name and one of their surnames to the newly baptized person. The later Catholic missionaries from France, USA, Canada, and Italy did not follow the Portuguese in naming the new Christians. They gave one Christian name but did not change the surname of the newly convert.
Presently, the Catholic Church has six dioceses Dhaka, Chittagong, Dinajpur, Khulna, Mymensngh, and Rajshahi with a Catholic population of about 221,000, more than 70 parish churches, 200 priests, 50 Brothers, 700 nuns, 1,000 catechists, and many educational, healthcare, and welfare institutions and organizations.
)
[3] => Array
(
[name] => Saint Thomas Church
[post_id] => 7372
[post_link] => http://offroadbangladesh.com/places/saint-thomas-church/
[thumb_link] => http://offroadbangladesh.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/Saint-Thomas-Church1-240x300.jpg
[post_content] =>
Saint Thomas Church is an Anglican Church which is also known as The Church of Bangladesh. The church premise was in an area of lush greeneries with the famous Bahadur Shah Park at a stone’s throw distance on the south. The north-south axial Nawabpur Road/Johnson Road, the most important commercial street connecting the old part of the city with the new, is on the west and separated the area from the court, Bank, DC's office and Jagannath University buildings across it. In fact the church overlooking the greens is a major focal of the city Centre in the nineteenth century.
This church was built in 1819, and inaugurated by Bishop Reginald Heber of Kolkata (Calcutta) on the 10th of July in 1824 while he was on a visit to Dhaka. The church is serving as a cathedral church since 1951. It is said that the convicts from Dhaka Jail gave their labor to build this church as well the church of Bangladesh continues the history of the movement of Protestants into India early in the 19th century. The Protestant community in what is now Bangladesh has been dominated by the Baptists, but the Church of England and the Presbyterians were also active. In 1947 Bangladesh became the eastern province of bifurcated nation of Pakistan, but in 1972 it officially separated as an independent nation.
In 1970, the Presbyterians and Anglicans in Bangladesh united (as part of the general union of Christian in Pakistan) to form the Diocese of Dhaka of the Church of Pakistan. The creation of Bangladesh involved a civil war and the development of harsh relation between two countries. Although officially continuing as a Diocese of the Church of Pakistan for some years, the church in Bangladesh began almost immediately to function as an autonomous organization which gradually emerged as the independent Church of Bangladesh (St Thomas Church). The church is led by most reverend Paul S. Sarkar who in January 2003 became the third bishop of the church of Bangladesh. The 71 parishes are divided into 2 dioceses. The church has approximately 15,600 members (2005). It has been a member of the World Council of Churches since 1975 and functions as part of the larger worldwide Anglican Communion.The photo was taken by Mr. Fritz Kapp in 1904.
The attraction of this building, built after the style of east churches, with a square clock tower with arch windows on its walls. A small porch leads to the entrance of the church supported on four columns which are of perpendicular gothic design on top of the entrance. Small square parapets are used on the roof. There are two columns at the back of the rectangular nave which leads to a pulpit through an arch. The pulpit is rectangular and has a brass cross on the wall at the back. The altar is constructed of wood and also has a brass cross on top of it. The location of the altar is at the east end. There are elegant curved chairs for congregation. A stone font on the back of the nave. The walls of the church are adorned with stone tablets commemorating some of the members of the church. The roofs of the verandas are set upon sloppy korhikath.
The rectangular hall room is very much tidy and two piers with grooves are easily visible surpassing other things and these piers do not carry any weight. The roof used wooden battens on iron joists; the floor have tiles. The delicate stone and brick works of this white plastered building are still as immaculate as it has been for nearly two centuries. Even most of the thick teak furniture, altar, and ablution bowl (for baptizing) in marble are still unblemished and in good working condition. However, the open colonnades around two sides of the nave (central axial hall) were walled up later. In 2005 the church authority has undertaken a massive renovation of the building. Though the church is small in size, it is one of the most attractive ones in Bangladesh. The rectangular flat-roof steeple rises above the roof in two stages.
)
)
