Portuguese Burial Ground Kolkata

After announcing my hiatus from blogging this is the first blog post after a few months of hibernation. Talking about hibernation when I was thinking as to which blog post should be the one to revive my blog then the first one that came to my mind was about the Portuguese Cemetery or the Portuguese Burial Ground in Kolkata.

I have been researching this cemetery for the past two years and the only reason that stopped me from writing this blog was the limited resources that were available to me all along. Now I have managed to piece it together like a jigsaw puzzle and finally, the post is ready.

We have all heard about the Scottish, Armenian, Greek, French, etc. cemeteries that the city once had or still standing. For some strange reason, we forgot about another community that is the Portuguese who was one of the early traders and had a strong presence in the city and the subcontinent as a whole.

A large contribution of the Portuguese community and the traders was primarily responsible for the spread of Roman Catholicism in this part of the country. Members from this community were the primary donors for the construction of some of the Roman Catholic churches in the city.

Even though the British were primarily Anglican and propagated the protestant version of Christianity they did not stop other branches of Christianity to also spread and that’s the reason why we also find few large Roman Catholic churches in the city.

When it came to burying the dead there were no restrictions as to which cemetery, they found their last resting place. That’s the very reason why you will find both Roman Catholic as well as Protestant graves at Lower Circular Road Cemetery. However, when the new Roman Catholic churches were founded in the city primarily by Portuguese merchants some of the contributors also invested in creating the last resting place for the members of their community.

History of Portuguese Burial Ground

The Barretto family was synonymous with building catholic churches in and around the city. Roman Catholic Cathedral (Cathedral of The Most Holy Rosary), St. Patrick’s Church Dum Dum, Church of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, Church of Our Lady of Dolours, and even the Church of Santa Madre De Deus in Serampore were also built with healthy contribution from the Barretto’s.

The one name that comes up many times when someone talks of the Barrettos is that of Joseph Barretto who was the sole person funding the Catholic churches in Calcutta and it was his initiative to have a separate burial place for the Portuguese in the city.

On the 8^th of February 1786, he donated land at Baithakkhana (present-day Sealdah) to set up a burial ground. He paid Rs. 8000 back then for the purchase of this land.

Residing at a grand mansion at 25 Mangoe Lane the Barrettos were a family who generation after generations were support the expansion of churches in the city. Joseph Barretto died in September 1824 and after his death, his next generations carried on with the work.

Location of Portuguese Burial Ground

This place back then was a simple burial ground and attached to it was a small chapel. Over the years the chapel got converted into a large church that we now know as St. John’s Church. Do not confuse this with the St. Johns Church near Governors House which was once the cathedral of the city. This St. John’s Church is a Roman Catholic church located next to the Sealdah (North) Station and can be easily spotted from the flyover due to its bright red color.

The burial ground is now more popularly known as St. Johns Church Cemetery mostly due to the prominent church that now it houses.

What To See at Portuguese Burial Ground

Since this burial ground is a relatively small plot of land thus the tombs and graves have been used over and over again, this also means that the older ones which had some reference mentioned in books and journals are nowhere to be seen. The oldest gravestone that I could locate is mostly from around the 1840s.

Things took an ugly turn when the railway platforms were expanded and the western wall of the burial ground shared the railway tracks on the other side. This was around the mid-1950 and the wall back then dividing the property from the railway station was also very low. This gave a rise to vagabonds and addicts often jump over the wall and use the burial ground as a nuisance.

The sad part was that during this period a lot of the marble busts were damaged, the heads chopped off and sold off by a group of miscreants.

Some of the older graves remain and still have some of the original stone and marble works visible. A significant portion of the cemetery now contains the graves of Fathers from the church and Sisters from the Missionaries of Charity organization. The south side of the burial ground also now houses a nunnery.

Most of the old graves can be seen on the north side of the cemetery. Most of the graves are in a dire state and unfortunately, the graves are individual property and the church cannot directly start any kind of renovation unless the family owning the graves steps in. In most cases, the graves are over 150 years old and no one steps forward to assume ownership.

Overall this place is another jewel in the crown of the city of Kolkata as we can proudly say that this city is truly an amalgamation of different cultures and religions.

Location Of The Burial Ground On Map

Resources

The Complete Monumental Register Containing All The Epitaphs, Inscriptions By M. Derozario
List Of Inscriptions On Tombs Or Monuments In Bengal Possessing Historical Or Archaeological Interest
Bengal: Past And Present (July To Dec.) Vol.23
History Of The Portuguese In Bengal By J. J. A Campos
Hackers Guide To Calcutta By W. K. Firminger
Asiaticus: In Two Parts By John Hawkesworth
Indian Express

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