St. Andrew's Church, Mumbai
| St. Andrews Church | |
|---|---|
 | |
| 19°3′18″N 72°49′28″E / 19.05500°N 72.82444°ECoordinates: 19°3′18″N 72°49′28″E / 19.05500°N 72.82444°E | |
| Location | Bandra, Mumbai |
| Country | India |
| Denomination | Roman Catholic |
| History | |
| Founded | 1575 |
| Architecture | |
| Status | Parish Church |
| Functional status | Active |
| Administration | |
| Archdiocese | Archdiocese of Bombay |
| Clergy | |
| Archbishop | Oswald Cardinal Gracias |
St. Andrew's Church is one of the oldest churches in Bombay, built by the Portuguese Jesuits in 1575. It stands on the sea-shore of the Bandra suburb of Bombay, and was the only church there till the first quarter of the 17th century.
Description
The high altar of the church extends almost to the roof, and carries statues of Sacred Heart, Our Lady and St Andrew. Smaller statues of St John the Baptist, St Sebastian and the Bom Jesu are above the main statues. The 16th-century wood side altars were carved and painted in popular Portuguese style. The church also has 16th-century hanging wood panels depicting the Resurrection of the Christ and the Assumption of Mother Mary, and a 16th-century pulpit. One of the largest and oldest stone crosses in Mumbai is in its compound. This stone cross is carved from a single stone. Originally installed at the older Church of St. Anne, it was moved. The Maratha Army destroyed the church during the invasion of the settlement. The Church of St. Anne was formerly at the site of the current Bandra Bus Depot.
A small round aperture in the center of the front facade of the building, just above the statue of St Andrew, allows the rising sun to shine into the church.
St Andrew Church houses a mini-museum in the choir loft. The church conducts regular masses every day.
From the archives of the East Indian Association Silver Jubilee
- Withstood the terrible cyclone of 1618
- Survived the Maratha invasion of 1739
- Underwent repairs in 1764
- Roof and ceiling renewed in 1823
- Surrounding wall built in 1862
- General repairs carried out.Paved with Marble, Porch added in 1890
- Main Altar rebuilt in 1900
- Roof renovated in 1931
- Front and side Compound walls rebuilt and gates replaced in 1934
- Monument of Christ the King erected in 1935 [1]
References
- ↑ "The East Indians of Bandra". East-indians.net. Retrieved 2011-12-23.