Conservation work on St Mary Magdalene Church to begin soon

LAHORE:The Walled City of Lahore Authority (WCLA) is starting the conservation of St Mary Magdalene Church on Abid Majeed Road, Lahore Cantt.

The conservation of this church will be funded by the Punjab government through Human Rights and Minority Affairs Department. The project of conserving the church was an initiative of Corps Commander Lahore, who envisaged and requested the government for the conservation of this church.

However, the project of conserving the Magdalene Church has been handed over to the Walled City of Lahore Authority for its execution as it has already conserved other monuments - temples, churches and other worship places of minorities. Moreover, the legal documentation and assessment have been completed. The work of conservation will commence after the budget allocation.

Established in 1857, the church stands as one of the major architectural buildings of the colonial heritage as well as worship places for the religious minorities. The conservation of the Gothic-designed church has been divided into two components, the interior and exterior. The interior includes structure consolidation of the church involving woodwork as well as colouring of the internal surfaces.

Moreover, renovation of the altar area and central hall will also take place in which the mezzanine floor will be repaired for the public use. However, the exterior phase includes site restoration in the form of renovation of verandahs, towers, and roof. The church building will also get facade treatment in this project.

Apart from this, improvements in electric and drainage sectors will also be made by Walled City of Lahore Authority (WCLA) in order to make church more viable for worship, prayers and visitor purposes. The interior phase is expected to be completed in June 2025 whereas the exterior part will be completed by December 2025.