You don't have to be a spiritual person to feel the soul-enriching peace that being at the Brooks Memorial Methodist Church fills you with. If you have even a modicum of romance in you, nothing can stop you from falling in love with the holy place, unconditionally. It's not just the way the building (and another two structures that exist alongside it) is made that distinctly separates it from a lot of other stone-made 19th century structures, but the calming environment that the church oozes is simply divine.
Enter the Methodist Church from the gate that faces Abdullah Haroon Road, and be circumspect. You're about to be pleasantly surprised. The pentagonal little lawn before the main church building, and the one green square on its right, strewn with towering palm, neem and banana trees sheltering the whole compound from the scorching May sun, makes it a setting in utter contrast to what the world outside has turned into. Mad traffic, thoughtless commercial constructions and mind-numbing commotion that are a regular feature of the roads that crisscross the zone amidst which this magnificent church stands in an almost atypical manner.
There are three different architectural wonders in the compound the church, the pastor's house and the Sunday school for babies. The staff is friendly and helpful. They work day in and day out to keep the Brooks Memorial Methodist Church clean as a whistle and a sight worth respecting, and loving.
One such staff member who spends most of his time at the church office is Ilyas Masih Sadiq. He says “The Methodist Church comes under the Church of Pakistan, like the Anglican and CMS churches. We try and do our best to keep it spotless, and we have a very nice group of people working for us.
“Since your interest is the architectural qualities of the building, let me tell you the general public usually comes here to pray. They offer their prayers and leave. Seldom do they take note of the stonemasonry. But there are people (well-off at that) who acknowledge its spiritual as well as historical value. For example, there's this businessman who comes here on a regular basis and every week cleans the place of worship with his own hands next to our staff members.”
“Most of the Methodist Church is in its original shape except for the ceiling whose wood has been replaced by RCC. Otherwise its doors, windows, pews and even some of the trees (neem, jungle jalaibi) exist from the time this great structure was first constructed,” says Mr Sadiq.
When was it built, by the way?
The Methodist Church was constructed in the last quarter of the 19th century (1874 or 1875). Here's a nugget of information. If you move around the beautiful sight and reach the front façade of the building, you'll see a commemorative tablet indicating that this particular church was founded and built by the first Methodist minister from America Rev Frank Ambrose Goodman. It's interesting because not too many names from America are referred to when you take into account the construction work that took place in 19th and 20th century Karachi.
As in Holy Trinity Church, the façade of the Methodist Church has coupled windows. It has Romanesque (semi-circular arches) and is generally a simple piece of architecture.
It is said that the building is quite different in style from some of its other counterparts made in the latter half of the 19th century.
Architect and conservationist Yasmeen Lari says “You must've noticed it has Romanesque arches and is heavily influenced by the Byzantine style. On the whole it is Romanesque in character, a form that was introduced before many other varieties of construction employed in the subcontinent, some evolving into the Gothic style etc. There's a famous church in Paris, St-Germain-des-Pres, the Methodist Church is a bit like that.
“It's a Romanesque revivalist building, something that became prominent in the 19th century. It's not known who its architect was. It could've been a pastor since in those days the clergy designed quite a few churches. Actually it was a period when a lot of designing books written in the West were introduced into the subcontinent, and it was easy to go through them and come up with a design.”
“As for it's current condition, I think it's time something substantial happened to minimise the effect of the new buildings that have come up around it and the vehicular traffic that causes a lot of noise and air pollution,” says Ms Lari.
It's not enough to view the Methodist Church as a work of architecture meant to gain spiritual solace. There's also a remarkable aesthetic side to it. If you try and get an overview of the whole compound either by standing at the main entrance or taking an overhead picture of it, you'll develop an urge to paint (or write a poem on) the lofty trees canopying, in a way, the breathtaking church making the effect of the sunlight mellow and in consonance with the place of worship. But not everyone can paint or compose poetry.
PS If you've been to St-Germain-des-Pres, facing it is the Café des Deux Magots. Some say after the Second World War, it became one of the favourite haunts of Jean Paul Sartre and Simone de Beauvoir. There you go.
— mohammad.salman@dawn.com