St John The Baptist Church, Bombay

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St John The Baptist Church was a church in SEEPZ, Mumbai. It was built by the Portuguese in 1579 and opened to public worship in the feast of John the Baptist that year. It also has an attached graveyard. The church was abandoned in 1840 after an epidemic plagued the region. Fr Jose Lourenco Paes, Vicar of Condita transferred the church to the nearby Marol. The baptismal font, pillars and altars were transferred to the new church.

After abandonment, the church fell into decay and vegetation started to take over the ruins. A few years ago restoration of the church was proposed, but work has travelled with a snail's pace.

The church is located in the restricted SEEPZ area and devotees are only allowed to enter on the feast day, mostly by the local East Indian community.

[edit] References

Roofless, but soul is intact, Jeetha D'Silva, Times of India, pg-5, 2005-07-10