St Thomas Cathedral

The cathedral has Grade I Heritage Protection Status.

Thomas’ Cathedral. Work on the church commenced under Gerald Aungier,The first British governor of Bombay , in 1672 and the church was opened to the public in 1718.The tower and clock were added in 1838, while the chancel was built in 1863.

Aungier presented the community a silver chalice . google books

Though essentially simple in structure, the interior of the church has some exquisite stained-glass windows.pilgrimage-tours.tourtravelworld.com

During the second decade of the eighteenth century, the project of the church was renewed by Richard Cobbe , an enthusiastic chaplain of the East India Company. The construction was completed under his dynamic leadership and the church was opened to the public on the Christmas Day in 1718.

St Thomas Cathedral was originally named as St Thomas Church after one of the twelve disciples of Jesus Christ who came to the South West (Malabar) coast of India

The structure of St Thomas Cathedral is a fine blend of Classical and Gothic style of architecture. Though the building has undergone subsequent changes, most of these were additions. daijiworld.com

On completion of the church in 1718, the residing Reverend went on to establish a charity school for Protestant children in the vestry of the church. As the school grew, it moved out to a nearby building and carried with her the name “Cathedral and John Cannon School”. Since the beginnings, the school has had a special connection with the church and continues to be her chief patron. unesco

The cathedral building has undergone a number of changes since 1718. In 1837, upon its consecration as a cathedral, the original low belfry was replaced by a 146-foot clock tower. By 1865, the chancel apse had been extended, in Victorian Gothic style, to create a larger space for the choir and an organ room. In the 1860s, exquisite stained glass panels donated by the local parish were added in the apsidal end. In 1921, as part of an improvement program, a reinforced concrete slab (RCC) replaced the pitched, tiled, wooden roof that covered the chancel apse.

Its rich repository of Victorian art in terms of carved marble monuments, sculpture and Victorian iron- works, choir stands and pews, stained glass, etc, render the interiors as one of the most articulate Victorian Gothic interiors. unesco

British Sculpture and the Company Raj google book

This book looks at the complicated ways that sculptures sent to India from London during the heyday of the East India Company invoked and ensured a rationale for the British presence in India. Illustrated.