Description of the attraction
The very first Anglican church in the Indian city of Mumbai is considered to be the Cathedral of St. Thomas (Thomas), created in 1718. This temple was built in order to maintain the morality and spirituality of the British population of India, its "moral standards", which at that time significantly "decreased", firstly due to the remoteness from the "Puritan Homeland", and secondly because of the abundance of new impressions from a completely different culture.
The construction of the church began in 1676 thanks to the protégé of the British East India Company, Governor General of the city of Bombay, formerly a Portuguese colony, Gerald Aunger. In addition to the church, thanks to him, a hospital, a courthouse and many other necessary administrative buildings appeared in Bombay. But only forty years later did it become possible to finally complete the construction of the temple when chaplain Richard Cobb took over. The church was officially opened for Christmas 1718.
It acquired the status of a cathedral in 1837, and a year later, in 1838, a tower with a large clock was added to the western part of the building, which became a kind of visiting card of the temple. Also, over time, the cathedral was rebuilt, in particular after 25 years, by 1865, the main altar of the church was renewed and expanded. In general, the temple was built in a colonial style, with Gothic elements. Its tall and narrow windows are decorated with beautiful stained-glass windows; the main hall is replete with high arches and carved panels. In addition, on the territory of the church there are many burial places of prominent and not so British, from generals to noble maidens.
In the 2000s, St. Thomas Cathedral attracted the attention of UNESCO and in 2004 it received the award for the Preservation of Cultural Heritage in the Asia-Pacific Region.
