The bells started ringing and the faithful gathered for a mass as the Saint Lukes church -- one of the oldest in Kashmir -- which came alive after three decades on Wednesday just ahead of Christmas. It was closed after the eruption of militancy in the valley in the 1990s.
The church, located near the Chest Diseases Hospital on the foothills of the Shankaracharya hillock in Dalgate area of the city, will officially be opened to the public on Thursday. However, a prayer was held on Wednesday, officials said.
The renovation of the church, which is about 125 years old, was undertaken by the tourism department under the 'Smart City Project'. The church has been opened after 30 years, after it was renovated and restored to its old glory, they said.
The renovated church will be e-inaugurated on Thursday by Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, church official Kennedy David Rajan said. He said that the Christian community is happy to see the church being re-opened after its renovation.
Grace Paljor, principal of a private school, said the community was glad that a 125-year-old church was restored to its old glory, and prayers were held after three decades.
The minuscule Christian population in the valley usually visits the Holy Family Catholic Church, a Roman Catholic Church, at MA Road, and the one at Church Lane for Sunday mass and Christmas mass. There are churches in Baramulla and Gulmarg as well in the valley.
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