St. John in the Wilderness Church, Nainital, Uttarakhand India

St. John in the Wilderness Church is a tranquil place located in Mallital (the northern end of the Nainital Lake).  It is one of the earliest buildings erected in Nainital and possibly the finest church in any Indian Hill station. The church was named by the bishop of Calcutta who came to Nainital in 1844, when the place was still very much a wilderness. This church contains a brass memorial to the victims of famous landslip. Bodies of few victims were buried in the graveyard here.

During the British rule, known as 'The Church of St. John' as it was dedicated to Saint John was founded in 1844 and Nainital had just begun to flourish. You will notice from various write-ups that the British had a hand in the development of this town and since they made it their summer resort, a church was mandatory as it forms a very vital part of the social and spiritual life of any Christian.

St. John's Church as people call it now in short is situated on the northern end of Mallital and about 1.5 km from the Nanda Devi Temple and close to the High Court of Uttarakhand. After the worst landslide that hit Nainital in 1880, a brass plaque was established on the altar of this Church with the names inscribed of all those innocent victims to this tragedy.

The Church of St. John is also known as one of the Oldest and Strongest building in Nainital that is still standing tall and erect against harsh weathers, rain and time especially that has begun to corrode this 163 year old Structure to a certain extent and it just exemplifies the skilled construction and architecture of the old bygone centuries. The Graveyard behind this Church buried many English and local Christians who once resided in this town and called it their own home.