This Famous Church in Mumbai is Older Than the Taj Mahal

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There is one famous church in Mumbai that sits quietly on the suburban coastline watching the time go by for the past 400 years and more. Mumbai has many religious places that overlook the Arabian Sea like the Haji Ali Dargah and the Mount Mary’s Basilica. However, this one barely gets the attention which is also one of the reasons why it is still standing. You’ll know the reason why I said so as you read further.

While I was focusing on the Thursday Doors post for the blog, I decided to cover this popular church in Mumbai which has a history older than the Taj Mahal itself.  However, there is not much on the internet about it. I’m talking about St Andrew’s Church which is one of the oldest churches in Mumbai.

Talking about the oldest church in Mumbai, I’ve already covered the Saint Thomas Cathedral in Churchgate. However, this time we take a trip up north from downtown and head to Bandra where St Andrew’s Church is located.

The Origin

To know more about the origin of this famous church in Mumbai we have to go back in time to 1534. At this point, Mumbai was an archipelago of seven islands until 1784.

The current Bandra location is located on Salsette Island which is just north of these seven islands. The word ‘Salsette’ comes from the Marathi word ‘Sashasti’ which means sixty-six and represents the 66 villages on the island. These villages were inhabited by farmers, artisans, and fishing communities.

By the 15^th century, many colonial powers had invaded the west coast of India and the Portuguese were one of them. In 1568, Portuguese Jesuits took over the control of Bandra. Initially, the evangelical mission didn’t see much success. However, on the arrival of Brother Manoel Gomes, the Apostle of Salsette things changed as he used his knowledge of local customs.

In 1575, the church was built in this location which would administer to the spiritual needs of the growing Catholic population in Bandra. By 1580, 2000 villagers were baptized and by 1603 the entire Bandra population became Catholic.

The Church of Santa Anna

While the St Andrew’s Church remains one of the oldest churches in Mumbai it is not the oldest parish church in Bandra. Even before this church, the Portuguese had built a makeshift church and a boarding school for boys near Bandra Creek in 1574.

However, the British blew up the church in 1739 and St Andrew’s Church became the oldest church in Bandra.

The only thing that survived in the rubble is the Cross of Santa Anna which now stands in the compound of this famous church in Mumbai. The cross is carved from a single stone with various Christian icons on it.

The Maratha Empire Invasion & It’s Decline

Portuguese ruled over the Salsette Island for a good part of the 17^th century. However, things changed when Catherine of Braganza married King Charles II in 1662. In 1661, a Marriage Treaty was agreed upon in which seven islands of Bombay would be handed to the British.

During this time in North India, the Mughal Empire was also struggling to keep things under control. Shah Jahan who commissioned the Taj Mahal was imprisoned by Aurangzeb until he died in 1666. The Mughals were equally interested in capturing more territories.

In 1668, King Charles II decided to lease the islands to the East India Company for a nominal 10 Sterling Pound rent. For him, the seven islands were nothing more than a financial liability.

In 1690, the East India Company paid Aurangzeb handsomely to keep harmony between the Mughals and the British sailors.

In 1718, Saint Thomas Cathedral in Churchgate area was ready and opened to the public.

Oppressed by two foreign colonial powers for the next four decades, the locals decided to support the local Maratha warriors. In 1737, Salsette Island was under the Maratha Empire. At this point, the Maratha warriors captured many of the British vantage points to push them back.

In 1739, the British blew up the Church of Santa Anna to keep it from falling into Maratha hands. However, they didn’t see the need to do the same with St Andrew’s Church.

By the 1800s, the Maratha Empire was falling. The Treaty of Bassein of 1802 (now known as Vasai) was one of the first major blows to the empire.

This made St Andrew’s Church the only parish church in Bandra from 1739 to 1853 until St Peter’s Church was opened.

While Bandra had a huge Catholic population, it was also in 1853 that St Stephen’s Church was opened. This was clearly to cater to the spiritual needs of the British Protestant Christians.

The Architecture

One of the most striking factors about this famous church in Mumbai is that there are graves all around the churchyard. The building has a very Portuguese-style design and over the years, the building has undergone many repair works.

We also see the monument of Christ the King in the compound which was erected in 1935.

On the front side of the building, there is a round aperture facing east. This allows the morning sunlight into the church. The church building also has two towers on either side which were demolished and constructed again.

Inside the church, one can see glass-stained windows on the sides that let in ample light throughout the day.

The altar is as high as the roof and was made from teakwood in 1906. On the lower side, right in the middle is Saint Andrew, Sacred Heart on the left and Our Lady on the right. Smaller statues of St John the Baptist, St Sebastian and the Bom Jesus idols are placed above the main statues.

The Photo Tour

Wrap Up

If you are in Mumbai you should explore St Andrew’s Church in person. This is one of the famous churches in Mumbai with a long history and heritage attached to it. Also, while you are here you can explore other churches in the vicinity like Mount Mary’s Basilica which is probably one of the top churches in Mumbai.