I.C. Colony
Coordinates: 19°14′49″N 72°50′59″E / 19.247039°N 72.849830°E I.C. Colony (Immaculate Conception Colony) is a large colony situated in the suburbs of Borivili, also spelled Borivali, in the North Western face of Mumbai, Maharashtra, India. This area has the highest concentration of Christians in Mumbai. The name is derived from the Church of the Immaculate Conception, or I.C. Church, which is at the South Eastern entrance of the colony. It is surrounded by other smaller colonies such as LIC Colony, Madonna Colony, Marian Colony, Kanderpada and Rishi Complex. The Holy Cross Colony and extension (also called I.C. extension), on Holy Cross Street, which extends beyond I.C Colony towards Dahisar (Mumbai's last zone before Thane District) is also part of the extended Catholic locale. Many old mansions can be found here though most are now broken down to make way for buildings. The Postal Index Number for the colony is 400 103.
History
I.C. Church (Immaculate Conception Church)
One of the oldest churches in Mumbai, it was built in 1547 AD by the Franciscans. The Franciscan Fr, Antonio Do Porto earlier owned the village of Mount Poinsur. Soon the Franciscan bought the neighboring villages of Pare(Goregaon) and Arrangal around 1556 A.D.- 1559A. D. Adjoining the Church they also built a Royal College and Monastery in 1549, the ruins of which are still standing close to the present Church building. The Mandapeshwar Caves had been used by the Franciscans as a crypt of the Church and later Served for the Parishioners.
Around 1630 there was about 1500 parishioners in the villages of Mount Poinsur, Dhainsa (Dahisar), Simpor, Canary (Kanheri) and Cassor. It was around this time that the name of the church was changed to 'Our Lady of Immaculate Conception' from 'Our Lady of Piety'.
During the Maratha invasion of 1739, Mount Poinsur was captured and the Franciscans dispersed. The Church, Friary and College were pillaged and left in ruins. The following 150 years saw the already damaged structure disintegrate into further ruins.
In 1888, through the efforts of the people of Bandra and under the guidance of the Dean of Thane, Fr. Joao Bras Fernandes rebuilt the old parish Church and has been functioning till date.
It is the second most populated parish in Mumbai. There is a Marathi speaking Protestant congregation called Methodist Marathi Church Borivali - in I C Colony. Saint Francis D'Assisi High School, located next to the church and Mary Immaculate Girls' High School are also located in I.C. Colony. Vibgyor High School is now in I.C. Colony.