120-year-old church near JJ Hospital to get a sensitised makeover

Holy Cross Church before and after the makeover PicsSuresh Karkera holy cross churchParishioners like Usha auntie worked tirelessly for nearly 20 years to ensure this 120yearold church could get restored reveals fellow parishioner Gabriel Dubey moments after our tour of the refurbished Holy Cross Church He is a member of the churchs repairing committee and our guide along with Usha Lazarus who insists that we try her plum cake We oblige and make our way to her 11th floor home located in a building within the compound It was a joyous Yuletide season for the 75yearold head of its mahila mandal and the 200odd parishioners of the historic church near JJ Hospital thanks to their combined efforts and sustained zealAn hour earlier we were taken through the finer details of this project by Rev Samuel Simon Dubey and Lazarus Behind the main altar she points us to the churchs foundation stone thats etched in Marathi All services are in Marathi she says in between instructing her grandson to run a few errands Six generations of my family have been parishioners here I would dress up in a sari for Sunday mass she smiles pointing us to the pew where she would sit as a little girl in the choirNote the Art Deco influence at the altar table in marble and the teakwood balustrade railing By now her daughter and a few other parishioners drop by to chat with Rev Simon as sunlight bathes its interiors through the semicircular vents and coloured glass panels The pulpit is as old as this church We retained it instead of replacing it with a marble alternative likewise with the benches some of the tiled flooring and the fulllength glass windows Some broken panes had to be replaced Rev Simon chips in Parishioners like Richard Rangare Rajesh Tejore Sangita Lammuel Elizabeth Rangari Dhananje Share and countless others helped us see this day he reminds us While the initial spadework began in March 2017 main work started post monsoon Approximately R3540 lakhs has been spent on the projectThe basalt stone porch measures at least 10 feet and was meant to keep flooding under checkUNESCOawardwinning conservation architect Vikas Dilawari has joined us He played a key role as honorary advisor for the project I was introduced by architect Christopher Gomes who lives in the same building as Lazarus to the committee members The church probably belongs to Renaissance or Classic Revivalist style due to its pilasters semicircular arches and balustrades though the architect is unknownIn the foreground is the wooden baptismal font for infants and in the background is the marbled baptismal pool meant for adultsNote the ventilation dormer on two sides this was to aid cross ventilation especially for its earliest parishioners that possibly included British residents from JJ Hospital and its surroundings he adds Towards the exit he points out to the decoratively carved 15fthigh Burma teakwood main door and the porch below leading to a flight of steps This nearly 10ftlong platform was built of basalt to keep the water away This was a khadi swampland and flooding was common he tells us Dubey sums it up nicely This Anglican church took 1520 years to build because of this problem that is unique to Umerkhadi but it has stood the test of time just like our congregationFrom left seated Parishioners Usha Lazarus her grandson daughter another parishioner standing Gabriel Dubey and Rev Simon1898The year in which the church was erected15 FTThe height of the main door made of Burma teakCatch up on all the latest Mumbai National and International news hereDownload the new midday Android and iOS apps to get updates on all the latest and trending stories on the go