With just a couple of days for Christmas, winter seems to have finally come to Mumbai. During these chilly mornings, the Christmas season is the only thing that gets us out of bed on most days.
Christmas is celebrated to commemorate the birth of Jesus Christ, it is one festival that is celebrated on the same date across the world. It is the time of the year that brings together all families and the priest at the church starts rethinking about how big is the parish anyway.
The city of Mumbai is blessed ancient architecture from the west, at least we have something to thank our colonizers for. The city is lined with the coast and beautiful Victorian-style Churches that are at least a century old.
With Christmas around the corner, we have listed the oldest churches in Mumbai that will take you back in time to experience the birth of Christ through soulful carol singing and their timeless structures.
St. Michael’s Church, Mahim
The St. Michael’s Church in Mahim was built in the year 1534, it is one of the oldest Portuguese structure in the city. It is believed that the Mother Mary’s figurine from Mount Mary in Bandra was placed at St. Michael’s from 1739 to 1761.
The novenas here are attended by thousands of people from across the city.
Mount Mary, Bandra
The famous Mount Mary Church is often the first visual to run across the minds of any visitor in Mumbai. This Roman Catholic church is located at Lands end in Bandra at an uphill. The statue of Mother Mary at this Church was first brought in Mumbai in the 16th century, the Mount Mary Basilica is more than 100 years old.
St. Thomas Cathedral, Nariman Point
The St. Thomas Cathedral located in Nariman Point in Churchgate is a landmark structure of the city. The church was built in the year 1718 and is the first Anglican church in Mumbai. The Churchgate railway station also got its name from the St. Thomas Cathedral church.
St. Thomas Cathedral is an extremely pretty sight at dusk with its painted glass windows under the golden sun and devotees engrossed in their time with the lord.
Afghan Church, Colaba
The Afghan Church in Colaba was built as a memorial for the martyrs of the first Anglo-Afghan war. Many of the British soldiers who lost their lives in the war were from Mumbai, then Bombay. The construction of the church had started in the year 1840.
Present-day, the church is located in Navy Nagar, Colaba, one of the most famed areas in the city. The church has a tall 60-meter-high tower and spire with stained glass stone walls that almost echo the brutal ways of war and the only hope for humanity in such times, faith.
St. Andrew’s, Bandra
Built 400 years ago, the St. Andrew’s Church in Bandra is 50 years older than the Taj Mahal in Agra. St. Andrew’s was also the church in Mumbai until the 17th century. The church has witnessed the landscape of Bombay transform into Mumbai and all that happened along with it.
The church is also a hotspot for celebrities during Christmas.
