The Roman Catholic Cathedral Church is situated near the Flora Fountain. It was built to replace the older Cathedral which was located in the Bhuleshwar area of the city, where there are few resident Christians.
The site of this church is very close to the site of the former Portuguese Church of Our Lady of Hope, or Nossa Senhora da Esperanca, that was confiscated by the English from the Padroado party and handed over to the Propaganda party’s Vicar Apostolic Athanasius Hartmann. The Esperanca Church was demolished by the Propagandists soon after, and in its place the present Esperanca Building, also called the Eucharistic Congress Building, behind the Holy Name Cathedral.
The Cathedral of St Thomas (a disciple of Christ who came to India to establish Christianity along the Malabar Coast, Southwestern India) was begun by Governor Aungier in 1676, but after his death the project was abandoned. The church stood neglected for around 40 years until it was adopted by an East India Company chaplain around 1710.
St Thomas’, the first Anglican church in Mumbai, was finally opened on Christmas Day 1718. The cathedral was given the essential “cannon-ball-proof” roof and was originally divided into sections for different classes of society, including one for “Inferior Women.”
St Thomas’ Cathedral is a blend of Neo-Classical and Neo-Gothic styles, with a white exterior.The interior looks much the same today as it did in the 18th century, whitewashed and furnished with polished brass, wood and stained glass windows.The walls are lined with ornate memorials to British parishioners, many of whom died young of disease or in battle.
The Anglican Cathedral of St. Thomas has been a peaceful abode for many a Briton who was laid to rest under exorbitant marble tablets engraved with moving elegies. The cemetery within the cathedral’s precincts has generals, clerks and young maids lying together under the cozy ground with tombstones bearing eloquent messages.
St. Thomas Cathedral attracts a host of devotees from across the country. Christmas and similar festivals are the occasion when the cathedral enamors beauty and excitement.
How to reach Cathedral Church?
Cathedral Church is located near Flora fountain. You can get down at Churchgate station (western line) and take a cab.
