The Church of Our Lady of Salvation, popularly referred to as ''Portuguese Church'', is one of the oldest churches in

Mumbai Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — List of renamed Indian cities and states#Maharashtra, the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' fin ...

(formerly Bombay),

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

. It is located on S. K. Bole Road in

Dadar Dadar (Help:IPA/Marathi, ̪aːd̪əɾ is a densely populated residential and shopping neighbourhood in Mumbai. It is also a prominent railway and bus service hub with local and national connectivity. Dadar holds the distinction of being Mum ...

. The church was originally built by the Portuguese

Franciscans , image = FrancescoCoA PioM.svg , image_size = 200px , caption = A cross, Christ's arm and Saint Francis's arm, a universal symbol of the Franciscans , abbreviation = OFM , predecessor = , ...

who called it ''Nossa Senhora da Salvação''. The present structure, designed by famous Indian architect

Charles Correa Charles Mark Correa (1 September 1930 – 16 June 2015) was an Indian architect and urban planner. Credited with the creation of modern architecture in post-Independent India, he was celebrated for his sensitivity to the needs of the urban p ...

, was constructed between 1974 and 1977.

History

The church of Our Lady of Salvation is believed by historians to be the city's oldest church, having existed as early as 1512. It was built by the Portuguese Franciscan Missionaries. It was later rebuilt as a larger church in 1651. In 1974,

, was commissioned to design the new building. Working with him on the project were engineer P G Nair and builder Abbas Jasdenwalla. Correa's design consisted of a series of interlinked spaces, some covered and others open to the sky, functionally differentiated in an analogue of Christ's life. The old church's steeples, the choir loft, the ascending roof and ornate facade were replaced by conical domes connecting the sanctuary (altar), the nave (central aisle), the baptistery (baptismal font), and the oratory (shrine). The structure featured an exposed concrete exterior, minus the plastering. Correa also invited noted Indian artists M F Husain and Anjolie Ela Menon to contribute to church. M F Husain executed a painting on glass for the central roof. Husain divided the glass into several segments for a stained-glass effect and painted the Biblical story of the five loaves and two fish, and the death and resurrection of Christ. Anjolie Ela Menon got a painting done depicting ''Christ on the Cross'' for a side chapel of the church devoted to prayer. It depicts Mother Mary and St. John on the either side of the crucified Christ. She also painted ''Eve'' and ''Adam'' on both side of Chapel Altar.Gudrun Lowner & Anand Amladass, Christian Themes in Indian Art: From the Mogul Times Till Today, Manohar Publications, 2010, p. 172 see, https://books.google.co.in/books/about/Christian_Themes_in_Indian_Art.html?id=RI_HtwAACAAJ&redir_esc=y The Church building houses a medical centre, a fitness centre, an Alcoholics Anonymous facility and a separate help group for the spouses of alcoholics.

References

{{Catholicism Roman Catholic churches in Mumbai Portuguese diaspora in Asia 1596 establishments in Asia