St Joseph's Catholic Church

Mill Hill Mission church from 1891, the first Catholic church in Kashmir

The pale-yellow Catholic church on the hill above the old town was built by the Mill Hill Missionaries in 1891 and was for many decades the only Catholic church in Kashmir. The complex includes the church itself, St Joseph's School (founded 1905), the convent, and the hospital — all of which played a much-mourned role in the 1947 Kashmir War.

The church is a quiet, well-kept building with stained glass and a small graveyard at the side, with the graves of the missionaries killed in 1947. The school remains one of the most respected in the valley. Outside services, the church is generally open during daylight hours; visitors are welcomed politely.

things to do sight
A story
On 27 October 1947, in the early hours of the First Kashmir War, raiders from across the frontier reached Baramulla and attacked the convent and hospital here. Six people were killed, including the mother superior and a young Spanish nun, Mother Teresalina, who shielded a pregnant nurse. The atrocity halted the raiders for two crucial days — long enough for Indian troops to land in Srinagar.