Mumbai: Church of St Andrew turns 400

Imagine a scene from Bandra todayrsquos nightlife hub back in the late 1800s The Arabian Sea lashes a rocky palmfringed shore that lines the Church of St Andrew Inside the complex a group of parishioners gather around the Cross of Santa Anna as a Jesuit padre explains the Biblical significance of each of the 45 symbols carved on it The Portuguese church watches over not just the faithful but over the suburb of Bandora its name according to the earliest written records then the pride of the Island of SalsetteRight Original church by Gynelle Alves left Post extension by Vikas DilawariFlash forward to November 2015 Barring a few million residents an extended church building a statue of Christ The King in the compound luxury towers and whizzing traffic the frame could be recreated Well almostA Bandra parishioner Lourdes Fernandes later Netto designed the statue of Christ the King installed inside the church complex Pic CourtesyHerman RodriguesThis Sunday on Christ the Kingrsquos feast after Bishop Dominic Savio Fernandes preaches the sermon and gives a Eucharistic blessing he will release St Andrew ByTheSea A Guide to the Art and Times of the Church The guidebooks launch will kick off Bandrarsquos earliest still standing churchrsquos 400year celebrationsAn illustration highlighting the West Face of the Stone Cross featuring Marian Symbols INTACH will help restore this crossIllustration CourtesyThe Bus RideBandra boys Denzil Smith and Roger Pereira will read from the guide ldquoItrsquos important to give back to the communityrdquo says Herman Rodrigues of the historical group 400th anniversary celebrations thatrsquos been working overtime to complete the guide like countless Bandra residentsThe main altar was built in 1906 as the earlier one was destroyed by termites The lifesized statue of St Andrew centre dominates the altar that is made of wood and built on a brick base paved with marblePic CourtesyFr Nigel BarrettldquoThe guide is the startrdquo he quips referring to yearlong celebrations As we flip through an advance copy of the 60pager the attention to detail is evident as is the meticulous researchIn the past the three church bells were used to sound an alarm and call parishioners to assemble There is a detailed report of an attack on February 27 1700 when an Arab expedition from Muscat comprising 2000 men in seven ships raided Versova They slaughtered a small Portuguese garrison before moving southward to ravage three coastal villages up to Bandra Illustration Gynelle AlvesDates had to be verified timelines crosschecked Portuguese scholars like Dr Paolo Varela Gomes Dr Sidh Mendiratta Professor Vitor Serrao and Dr Paolo Aranha helped with translations and interpretationsThe church has a lsquoJuliet Balconyrsquo in the sanctuary from where indisposed priests attended mass out of view of the rest of the faithful in churchPic CourtesyFr Nigel BarrettThese included the translation of the 1616 and 1669 Jesuit Letters by Dr Mendiratta and the interpretations of the symbols on the stone cross by Dr Aranha Apart from Bandra citizens who dug deep into their family archives documents were sourced from Punersquos Athenaeum Library Romersquos Jesuit Archives and St Xavierrsquos Collegersquos Heras Institute After 15 months of labour it was readyThe book R200 will be released on November 22 at St Andrew Church grounds Service begins at 6 pm It will be on sale and in the parish office thereafter Cover Gynelle AlvesHerersquos our pick of fascinating facts from the pagesgtgt It is Bandrarsquos oldest standing church but not the first The Church of St Anne was a sanctuary and strategic fortification built around 1575 25 years before St Andrew In 1739 with the assent of the Portuguese CaptainGeneral the British rulers of Bombay destroyed St Annes to prevent it from serving as a base for the Marathas who occupied Salsette Islandgtgt According to legend when St Andrew was to be crucified he asked that he not be hung on a conventional cross He felt he was unworthy of dying on the same cross as his Master Jesus Christ An Xshaped cross was fashioned which since has been associated with St Andrewgtgt The Stone Cross bears 45 carvings It was carved in 1871 by local artisans possibly using stone from a quarry in Vile Parle Dongri or BasseinInformation courtesy St AndrewbytheseaArchitecturally speakingDespite the major extension carried out in the 1960s the entire original faccedilade of this Baroquestyled church was replicatedThe porch was removed and the church walls were extended ensuring its historic continuity This was a great success at a time when there was no heritage committee to oversee matters The church more or less retains its structure from the 1700s mdash Vikas Dilawari consultant architect