The Church of the Holy Rosary: Oldest in Dhaka!

Illustration: Maisha Syeda; Photo: Reuters/Max Rossi

You have walked past it or at least have been in its vicinity perhaps a thousand times. After all, the church is located in Tejgaon, near the Farmgate area. A witness to many restructurings and renovations, it may not look very old but the Church of the Holy Rosary isin fact Dhaka's oldest church that is in existence. 

Historians say that it was established in 1677,but some historians have also said that the church was founded in or before 1599. 

Asthe author FB Bradley-Birt wrote more than a century ago, in his book,The Romance of an Eastern Capital,"Gone are the palaces of the Viceroys and the garden-houses of the merchants; gone are the busy streets and market-places and the clamouring camps of armies. Of all that stood in the olden days on this once densely populated spot, only the church of our Lady of Rosary survives."

The church has seen so much over the centuries, including the visit of Pope Francis in 2017!