All Saints Church, Peshawar
All Saints Church (built 1883), located inside the Kohati Gate of the old walled city of Peshawar in Pakistan, is a parish of the Church of Pakistan. It is an architecturally unique place of worship that bears a striking resemblance to an Islamic saracenic mosque with minarets and a dome.
The Church was opened on St. John's Day, 27 December 1883. The foundation stone was laid by Captain Graves whose widow presented the brass desk on the Lord's Table. A plaque on a wall records: "This church is erected to the Glory of God and dedicated to the memory of All Saints in the year of our Lord Jesus Christ 1883."[1]
2013 attack by terrorists
On September 22, 2013, two suicide bombers carried out an attack outside of the church at the end of a Sunday service, killing 87 people and injuring 170.[2] 600 parishioners were on the front lawn of the church, having lunch, when two explosions occurred, leaving the church scattered with body parts. Victims included an estimated 37 children.[3] TTP Jundullah, linked to the Taliban, said it had carried out the attack on the Christian congregation, saying, "We will continue our attacks on non-Muslims on Pakistani land."[4]
This is the second attack on churches in the province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in a year, where another church in Mardan was burnt[5] exactly a year before this incident.
References
- ↑ All Saints’ Church Peshawar by A Jan
- ↑ Titus on Mission - Peshawar All Saints’ update by Titus Presler, 30 September 2013
- ↑ "Scores Are Killed by Suicide Bomb Attack at Historic Church in Pakistan," New York Times, September 22, 2013
- ↑ "Suicide bombing kills 78 at Pakistani Anglican church," Toronto Globe & Mail, September 22, 2013
- ↑ Pakistan Daily Times, 25 September 2013
Further reading
- Jan, A. 'Mosque-like', brief, cursory article, in the Footloose section, The News on Sunday, April 15, 2008.
- Hughes, TP. All Saints' Memorial Church, n.p, 1855.
External links
Coordinates: 34°00′19″N 71°34′16″E / 34.0053°N 71.5712°E