St. Luke's Church, Abbottabad
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| St Luke's Church | |
|---|---|
 | |
 St Luke's Church | |
| 34°08′59″N 73°12′48″E / 34.1498°N 73.2134°E | |
| Location | Abbottabad, Pakistan |
| Country | Pakistan |
| Denomination | Protestant |
| History | |
| Founded | 1864 |
| Administration | |
| Diocese | Peshawar Diocese of the Church of Pakistan |
St Luke's Church, Abbottabad is an Anglican church dedicated to Saint Luke, now under the jurisdiction of the Peshawar Diocese of the Church of Pakistan. It was founded in the town of Abbottabad, British India, in what used to be part of Punjab, later the North West Frontier Province[1] in 1864.[2]
The work on the construction of St Luke's commenced in 1854-55, with initial delays due to slow fund-raising and then a brief interruption due to the Indian Rebellion of 1857, and it was completed and then consecrated by the Bishop of Calcutta[3] in 1864.[4] Its jurisdiction covered most of the Hazara region including Abbottabad itself, Haripur,[5] Mansehra and the Galyat hill tracts.[6] The Old Christian Cemetery, Abbottabad, was also attached to it.
Before the foundation of this church, the local Christian community did not have recourse to a regular vicar or chaplain, and these services were provided occasionally by chaplains attached to various military regiments in the cantonment[7] or by officials deputed from time to time from Peshawar or Rawalpindi. From late November 1864, however, the Revd P Kellner was regular Vicar and Chaplain, until April 1866.[8] Thereafter, some other notable Vicars/Chaplains here included the Revd Henry Fisher Corbyn,[9] the Revd James GS Syme[10] and the Revd T Bomford.[11]