St. John the Baptist Church, Mumbai
- St. John the Baptist Church, Mumbai
St. John the Baptist Church is a largely abandoned and ruined church presently located within the SEEPZ Industrial Project, Mumbai. It was built by the Portuguese in 1579 and opened to public worship in the feast of John the Baptist that year. It also had an attached graveyard. The church was abandoned in 1840 after an epidemic hit the village. Fr Jose Lourenco Paes, the then Vicar of Kondivita transferred the church to the nearby Marol village. The baptismal font, pillars and altars were transferred to the new church.
After abandonment, the church fell into decay and vegetation started to take over the ruins. Despite being abandoned, the native Christians visit the church once every year, as is traditional worldwide.
However, the properties around the church was acquired for the SEEPZ industrial park, and access to the church ruins is now severely restricted, with the plan to finally close access absolutely.
The church is located in the restricted SEEPZ area and devotees, mostly belonging to the native East Indian community, are only allowed to enter on the feast day.
In the face of native Christian opposition to these plans a few years ago, restoration of the church was proposed, but work has progressed at a snail's pace.
References
* "Roofless, but soul is intact", Jeetha D'Silva, Times of India, pg-5, 2005-07-10
* [http://www.dnaindia.com/report.asp?NewsID=1096878 St. John’s opens for Worship, Tuesday, May 15, 2007]
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