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| St.Thomas' Cathedral,Mumbai..wikipedia/commons |
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| St. Thomas' Cathedral,Mumbai. expatsinindia.org |
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| St.Thomas' Cathedral,Mumbai.en.wikipedia.org |
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| St.Thomas' Cathedral,Mumbai.tripomatic.com |
In 1668 King Charles transferred Bombay and its surroundings to the East India Company on lease for the latter to carry on their trade activities. Previously the island of Bombay was under the Portuguese possession became a part of the dowry of the Portuguese princess Infanta Catherine of Braganza on her marriage to Charles II of England under the Anglo - Portuguese treaty of June 1661.
It was one Richard Cobbe, the Chaplain, who completed the construction of the building between 1715 and 1718. The East India Company took up the responsibility of resuming the church construction work. Since its opening on the Christmas Day in 1718, It has served continuously as a church initially to the local European community and later after independence to the local Angelo-Indian and Indian communities in and around Bombay(Mumbai).
This cathedral aptly was named after St. Thomas, a prominent disciple of Christ, who came to India in the first century
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| The tomb of St.Thomas the Apostle in Mylapore, India.en.wikipedia |
with a view to preaching Christianity. Having settled down in India he built several churches all along the Malabar Coast in Kerala state that has significant Christian population. The St.Thomas Christians are an ancient body of Christians from Kerala, India, who trace their origins to the evangelistic activity of Thomas the Apostle in the 1st century. They are known as "Nasranis" because they are followers of "Jesus of Nazareth." The term "Nasrani" is still being used by St. Thomas Christians in Kerala. In the earliest British settlement in Bombay there was no church establishment. So, there arose a need for a building for common Christian prayer and religious activities of the early settlers who formed a small community and later it started growing. The church had a special space for women devotees.
Though the British left the shores of India for good in Aug. 1947, this historical Church majestically stands as a great grand monument that reminds the people of younger generation of Mumbai and the visitors about the eventful colonial era and the strong impact of British legacy as brought out by several historical buildings built by the British in this metropolis including dozens of poignant eulogies engraved on the marble tablets of the departed souls and the numerous tombstones of military generals, clerks and young maids in the cemetery who died here thousands of miles away from their country of birth and who were part of the British society centuries ago.
Lots of people visit this St.Thomas cathedral to spend their time to look at the wonderful British architecture, huge stained glass windows and the vintage furniture and brass items. St. Thomas Cathedral was built in Neo-Classical and Neo-Gothic styles with a white facade. The roof was built to withstand cannon attack in case of war.
Proper and sustained maintenance of this church is a must as the church is already old and shows signs of aging.
Ref:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Thomas_Cathedral,_Mumbai
St._Thomas_Cathedral,_Mumbaien.
www.mumbai.org.uk/religious-places/st-thomas-cathedral.html
St._Thomas_Cathedral,_Mumbaien.
www.mumbai.org.uk/religious-places/st-thomas-cathedral.html
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, St.Thomas Church - Britsh India ){kind=link}