To FN’s question on the history of St Peters Bandra, it is a story of a foundation laid by a Swiss Capuchin who at the time of the foundation was the Bishop of Patna and Bombay.
https://saintscatholic.blogspot.com/2014/03/bishop-anastasius-hartmann.html It is also the story of an East Indian orphan from Gorai who later became one of Bombay’s foremost Government architects during the Raj. https://scroll.in/magazine/886129/the-unlikely-connection-between-a-church-in-bandra-and-a-world-war-i-memorial-in-brighton This is information on its architecture. The structure was built in 1852, but by the 1930s, had fallen into disrepair. EC Henriques was roped in to rebuild the church. Under him, the staid original gave way to an elegant façade built in the Romanesque style. The simple exterior belies its remarkably ornate interior. The narrow doorway opens up into an expansive hall with a high ceiling crowned with a dome. The ceiling features elegant stucco work, which Anthony Henriques said was designed by his sister Ivy, then in her teens. She also styled the grapevine on the archways. The church’s most remarkable design elements are the 12 stained glass windows on the domed ceiling, depicting scenes from the life of St Peter. The stained glass was shipped all the way from China, where it was designed by a Spanish Jesuit. At the base of the altar is a relief of Leonardo da Vinci’s Last Supper, carved in Carrera marble and gifted by General Franco, the Spanish dictator. These disparate influences from across the world came together in this little structure in a corner of Mumbai, where they remain till today. The main altar of the church was later renovated, so that the priest could face the congregation during mass (versus populum) instead of having his back to them. It was architect David Cardoz who took charge of the redesign to ensure that the Sicilian marble in the altar was preserved. “It was quite a humbling experience,” Cardoz said. “Doing that little thing in the altar took me quite a bit of time. And I was wondering how those guys managed to build that whole structure [all those years back] with that stained glass coming from so far…It’s beautiful, really magnificent work…They could get those beautiful colours you wouldn’t otherwise get.” In 1995, the Indian Heritage Society recognised the structure as the best-maintained heritage church. It was awarded a plaque, carved with EC Henriques’s name, immortalising his contribution. Anthony Henriques and his siblings were present at the felicitation event to witness a part of their father’s history being cemented. Roland. Toronto. > On Apr 20, 2021, at 5:27 AM, Frederick Noronha <fredericknoron...@gmail.com> > wrote: > > An inspiring story from Bandra > https://youtu.be/635VPprYejU > -- > > _/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/ > _/ FN * फ्रेड्रिक नोरोन्या * فريدريك نورونيا +91-9822122436 > _/ See a different Goa here, via > _/ https://youtube.com/c/frederickfnnoronha > _/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/
