Nearly a year after the iconic Bandra basilica’s doors were shut for restoration, Mount Mary is now open to devotees once again, just in time for the annual Bandra Fair. The biggest change? Its familiar blue paint has been replaced with a fresh wood-and-cream look that harks back to its origins
Before: Pic Courtesy/Ainsley Lewis; (right) After: The Mount Mary Basilica bears a fresh new look following its restoration. The blue and cream colour story have been replaced by the warm wood tones of the restored Burma teak ceiling, columns and doors and windows. Another highlight is the restored canvas painting of Mary, Queen of Heaven, now hanging over the sanctuary. Pic/Kirti Surve Parade
There's been a steady stream of devotees flowing into Mount Mary Basilica in Bandra since August 15, when the iconic church finally reopened its doors after nearly a year of being shut for restoration work.
When the scaffolding finally came off the stone edifice, one change was instantly apparent — the familiar blue paint on the doors and windows was gone. This, perhaps, is a difference only locals or ardent devotees might make out. Inside, the change is even more perceptible. We walk into the imposing structure, our eyes automatically expecting to glimpse a sea of blue on the walls. Instead, we walk into the rich tones of warmth of teak everywhere the eye can see, offset by soothing light cream walls.
Ainsley Lewis, David Cardoz and Prof Louiza Rodrigues
Where the blue walls once felt comforting and convivial, the church now feels grander, airier, and more solemn. There will, no doubt, be people who prefer one over the other. Changing the church’s colour story from blue — a shade long associated with the church and with Mother Mary herself — was a bold choice, we point out to the architects, Ainsley Lewis and David Cardoz. Are they at all worried about how it will be received? “We were not really worried about that,” says Lewis, “We were very much aware that the church was only painted blue later; some sort of plastic paint [a modern invention] was used, so we were sure it was not the original colour. In the days since reopening, we have seen videos online of people saying that the space feels so serene and prayerful now — it’s the colour that makes the difference.”
The change was sparked by a surprise find — Burma teak. It started with the roof, doors, and the dormer windows, which were the main points of water ingress — one of the more pressing problems in the 121-year-old building (this is the fourth edifice in the same spot, where Mount Mary was first established in 1570 as an oratory). “In all good heritage projects, you first make the building waterproof. That meant starting on the roof. Initially, we started scraping the old paint off to figure out what was actually underneath, and what colours we should finally choose. When we discovered that the ceiling, doors, windows, and even the columns were all solid Burma teak, we decided to restore the wood,” he says.
The inner sanctum and Mother Mary’s statue have been painstakingly restored by Vasai’s Sequeira Brothers
“In good conservation projects, you must restore the original material and show it for what it is. We decided to polish the columns to show off the wood’s grain. It’s the same for the doors and windows; we polished them on the inside. Outside, where weather can affect polish, we instead painted it with the same shade as the wood,” say the architects.
The roof itself formed the first phase of the project, between 2023 and 2024. “It took us a whole year to just do up the roof thoroughly. The roof also has an attic crawl space, and a false ceiling that was entirely made of Burma teak board, which we restored,” Cardoz recalls. The work then paused for the monsoon and the annual Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, followed by the Bandra Fair. In October 2024, restoration of the interiors began, but the team found it difficult to work while services were going on in the church. And, so, the decision was taken to close the church temporarily. Worship moved to a temporary shamiana outside, while the restoration continued inside.
Rector Fr Vernon Aguiar (right) and Vice Rector Fr Sunder Albuquerque
Inside, they then discovered that the columns, once assumed to be stone, were made of teak as well, except for the very bottom. The columns, like the rest of the church, were treated with an air abrasion technique that used copper pellets to scrape old paint — seven layers of it, church officials tell us — to expose the wood underneath.
It’s a mark of increasing efforts to preserve Catholic heritage in the city, with a push to restore rather than rebuild churches, as used to be don earlier, says Gleason Barretto, founder trustee of Mobai Gaothan Panchayat.
Prof Anita Rane-Kothare and Evelyn Rodrigues
Another surprise was the discovery of an original canvas painting that once hung over the arch of the inner sanctum, depicting Mother Mary as the Queen of Heaven, holding Baby Jesus and surrounded by angels and saints. “We found the painting in the godown in a terribly tattered state,” recall Rector Fr Vernon Aguiar and Vice Rector Fr Sunder Albuquerque. “Art restorers who have worked with museums were called to help us restore the painting, which is a very rare depiction of Mother Mary,” says Fr Aguiar.
Mother Mary’s statue, too, and the inner sanctum have been restored by ace sculptors from Vasai, the Sequeira Brothers. Mingleshwar Sequeira tells us, “It is some of the best work we have done. Scraping the old layers of paint off was the most tedious process; it’s delicate work. We have now restored the statue to the original colour scheme, and have finished the sanctuary with 100 per cent gold leaf on the motifs, the main arch, the ceiling and other details.”
Before: The doors and windows no longer bear the cheerful blue (seen on the left) long associated with Mount Mary. Pic/mid-day archives; After: They are now polished to reveal the beautiful grain of Burma teak
All in all, the project has taken more than two years to complete, and has cost the church roughly “a couple of crores”, says Fr Albuquerque. The entire cost has been met by donations from the congregation and well-wishers. One such patron, who wishes to remain unnamed, offered their professional services to restore the Belgian glass chandelier in the inner sanctum, the Rector tells us.
“People have been generous because of their love for Mother,” says Fr Albuquerque. And it has all paid off. Since reopening, the church is slowly climbing back to its original footfall: about 2000 daily visitors, which swells to 5000 on Sundays.
Pascal Monis and Charlotte Carr visit Mount Mary every year from the US
“The reaction of people has been very good. Seeing the church open has lifted their minds and hearts. We are grateful the work has been completed before the Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary on September 8, and Bandra Fair [September 14 to 21],” says Fr Aguiar.
As pilgrims pay their respects and exit the church, we chance upon Pascal Monis and Charlotte Carr, on their annual visit from the US. “It’s our ritual to visit the church every time we come to India. Last year, it was closed; this time, it was a pleasant surprise to see it open again,” says Monis. We ask about the new look, and he replies, “The blue shade was nostalgic, but I find the church feels more serene now.”
Visiting all the way from Vasai, Evelyn Rodrigues shares, “I have been coming here regularly since I was a child. It’s faith that pulls us to Mount Mary. I like how the church looks even more now; the lighting and the wood interiors look beautiful.”
Historian Anita Rane-Kothare, who is president of the Bombay Local History Society, vice-chairperson of Museum Society of Mumbai, and teaches ancient history and archaeology at St Xavier’s College, is excited to return for her annual visit during the Fair. This year, she will take her students along to show them what heritage conservation entails. On a personal note, she is keen to catch a glimpse of the Queen of Heaven painting.
“Some say that Mother Mary’s statue was found there at the highest point of Bandra, watching over the area. It’s because of her that every time the local train passes by Bandra, you’ll see commuters make the sign of the cross,” says Kothare, adding, “Just like Mumba Devi and Prabha Devi, I believe Our Lady of the Mount too is a guardian spirit of Mumbai, helping us move ahead in the city and in life.”
1570
Year Mount Mary was established
Mother’s miracle: Mahim Causeway
Mount Mary’s imprint on the city is not just spiritual, but also manifests in very material ways. Not many may know how the origin of the Mahim Causeway is connected to the Basilica, but it’s something filmmaker Etienne Coutinho discovered while researching for Mount of Faith, a documentary film he made on the church. “Lady Avabai Jamshedji Jeejeebhoy, wife of wealthy merchant Sir Jamsetjee Jejeebhoy, had prayed to Mount Mary for a healthy daughter. Her wish came true in 1834. In 1841, she saw her chance to repay her debt of gratitude and save countless lives,” narrates Coutinho. “In those days, in order to reach Bandra, one had to cross the creek between Bombay and Salsette island on boats, and in the monsoon of 1841, several boats capsized and many people died. Lady Avabai urged the government to build a bridge — today’s Mahim Causeway — and bore the entire cost of R1.5 lakh [equivalent to a few thousand crores of rupees today].”
Unique statue
There are quite a few unique details around the statue of Mother Mary in this church. For one, it is a rare depiction of the Mother without a veil, points out Vice Rector Fr Sunder Albuquerque. And, the statue also had a grisly encounter with Arab pirates in the 17th century. “Today, Mother Mary holds Baby Jesus in her hands, but at the time, the statue held an orb and sceptre,” says filmmaker and Bandra resident Etienne Coutinho, who made the docufilm Mount of Faith. “The statue was wooden but the raiders thought the orb was gold, and cut it off as well as the hand holding it. The statue was replaced with another one from the neighbouring St Andrews church; this statue depicted the Mother holding Baby Jesus.
It remained at Mount Mary for 20 years, and by then everyone was so used to it that when the original statue was brought back, a sculptor replaced the missing limb with an arm holding the infant Jesus. It was after this that more women started coming in and praying for conception,” he recalls.
A legacy of over 450 years
While the current structure is 121 years old, Mount Mary itself has been in existence for 450 years. “The church’s history details that Jesuit priests working under Portuguese patronage constructed an oratory made of mud devoted to the Virgin Mary around 1570 on the hillock,” says Prof Louiza Rodrigues, retired head of the History department, Ramnarain Ruia Autonomous College.
Due to damage over time and expanding needs of the congregation, the church was rebuilt thrice. “The construction and restoration of the present semi-Gothic structure of the basilica was started in May 1902. It is a four-storey structure around 65 feet broad with deep rock-rooted foundations. This structure was influenced by European gothic church architecture,” explains Prof Rodrigues.
On a more personal note, she adds, “Since childhood, my parents would bring me to this church for the Feast on September 8. For us, as Catholics, Mount Mary is a central reminder of our identity, our memories, our belonging in the city, which is important in a migrant city like Mumbai, where identity and infrastructure are
closely linked.”
The sound and light exhibit is located right across the street from the Basilica
New additions
This year, there are two new additions launching in time for the Bandra Fair: a restored cottage on church premises where pilgrims from far-off states can find lodging, and a new sound and light show telling the story of Mary and Jesus with life-sized sculptural scenes. The cottage has a few dormitories where pilgrims can book a bed by contacting the church at least a week in advance.
The sound and light show has two different versions: a 15-minute walkthrough for Rs 50, and a more detailed 50-minute session for Rs 200.
For more details on the new additions and on Bandra Fair, visit mountmarybasilicabandra
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