A 400-year-old legacy

Standing in the premises of St. Andrew’s Church at Bandra, and marvelling at the larger-than-life façade of the church, one cannot really put a date to its origin. Perhaps, it’s the strains of music streaming through one of the rooms or the tinkling laughter of the children as they play around that has taken years off the church. But facts point out that the Parish of St. Andrew has, indeed, completed 400 years of existence.

Gleaning historical records
The first church in Bandra was the Church of Santa Anna, built to the south-west of where the Bandra railway station is located. This church, probably built in the 1570s, was destroyed by the British at the request of the Portuguese in 1739, at the time when the Maratha takeover of Salsette Island was imminent. The church of St. Andrew was probably built a few years later, likely just at the turn of the century, in 1601 or 1602. “At present, the exact dates are not determined and efforts are on to access archived documents in the Vatican library in Rome,” says Herman Rodrigues, a member of the historical group set up for the purpose of the 400-year celebration, “What is more documented is the formation of the Parish of St. Andrew in 1616.”
Though St. Anne’s was destroyed in the eighteenth century, leaving St. Andrew as the only church and parish in Bandra, the two are still entwined by threads of history. The original baptismal registry from Santa Anna (the Portuguese term for St. Anne’s) is preserved at St. Andrew, along with a magnificent stone cross that has 40 intricately carved icons on both faces, depicting events from the Old and New Testament, although some of the icons are not yet deciphered. At the base of the cross on the side facing east is carved the date 1678.

Sustained preservation
With such precious relics stored within its environs, one wonders how the team at the church goes about preserving all that history. Rev. Father Caesar D’Mello, the parish priest at St. Andrew says, “The roof of the church has been affected severely over the past many years.” The gentle summer breeze that soothes every parishioner today takes on a boorish demeanour with the onset of monsoon. The roof structure is built from local teak trunks and the roof through the centuries has been blown off and destroyed by gales and storms. “However, through the efforts of many generations of parishioners and priests, our church has withstood the ravages of the ages fairly well. We have also consulted with renowned conservation architect, Vikas Dilawari, who advises regular inspection of the roof,” adds Father D’Mello.

Fun and frolic
In spite of the challenges thrown in the way of the church’s team, nothing seems to have dampened their spirit of hope and joy. “The 400-year celebrations are scheduled to start in November, this year, and carry on until November 2016,” says Rodrigues, “They will include a wide range of events and activities, including aspects of Spiritual and Liturgical, Historical, Cultural, Outreach and Youth sections.” It wouldn’t be incorrect to say that not only the parishioners at St. Andrew’s Church but the entire city that hopes to see this historical monument set many more records.

Popular local legends
Given the church’s expansive history, it is no surprise that local legends have also been a part of it. An endearing story that often goes around is the one that talks about the statue (now in the north side altar) that was fished out of the nearby seas by koli parishioners many centuries ago.