Prathanalaya Chapel, Bandra, Mumbai (Sister Disciples of the Divine Master)

Located on the very popular Bandstand Promenade in Bandra West, is a Chapel and Liturgical Art Centre belonging to the (Roman Catholic) Sister Disciples of the Divine Master. One can visit this place for a quite moment of prayer in the first floor chapel and also visit the ground floor store for religious art and products such as vestments, candle stands, chalices, altar crosses, monstrances, rosaries, statues and a lot more.

Prathanalaya Chapel and Liturgical Art Centre, Bandstand Promenade, Bandra

From the road outside

View of the promenade from Prathanalaya main gate

The serene and calm of the outside, makes it a great place for worship and spiritual reflection

The Pious Disciples of the Divine Master (PDDM) have been in India since 1954. The Sisters moved to a house of their own in Mumbai on 8th December 1961. They now have branches in 20 cities across India. One can visit the Prathanalaya store on the ground floor before heading to the first floor chapel.

 Staircase to the first floor Chapel

The religious products' store on the ground floor

The religious products' store on the ground floor

 The Chapel - Nave followed by the Sanctuary and the Altar

Another view of the Chapel - windows open to the Bandstand Promenade

The Altar with Monstrance for Eucharistic Adoration

PDDM practice perpetual Eucharistic Adoration. This is a constant scene at the Chapel - there is always one sister praying, round the clock before Jesus in the Eucharist.

The Altar with the Monstrance for Eucharistic Adoration and the pews

 The 'Narthex' end of the Chapel

 St. Paul - PDDM also practice contemplation of the works of the Apostle Paul

 

Religious art (or perhaps stations of the cross) on the Narthex end wall of the Chapel

Please leave your comments and suggestions if any, for the blog. If you have some good pictures of this lovely Chapel, then please send them over on niklucknow@gmail.com. I'll post them here with due credit.

Christ Church, Mathura (Church of North India)

I came across pictures of Christ Church, Mathura while randomly browsing on details for churches' in Mathura. The pictures were bound to catch up attention due to the peculiar architecture of this church building. My first reaction was that of confusion and intrigue. The building didn't conform to any one style of church architectures popular in India.

 

The side view of the church.

(Picture Courtesy: Shweta Sherry, Mathura)

 

 The Church as it appears from the front.

(Picture Courtesy: Beautiful Mathura's FB page)

After seing pictures on the internet, I was resolute to visit the Church during my short visit. Mathura is a city in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. It is located approximately 50 kilometers north of Agra, and 145 kilometers south east of Delhi. Mathura is a popular Hindu pilgrimage destination being the birthplace of Krishna. Christ Church is located in the Cantonment.

 

The Church as it appears from the left entrance gate to the compound.

More popularly known as the English Church, Muttra (in old memoirs and post cards) the church was consecrated by Bishop Dealtry in December, 1856.

 

The Rt. Rev. Thomas Dealtry (1795-1861) was the Anglican Bishop of Madras.
(Picture Source: Wikipedia)

The Church is in a nondescript style of architecture. It's bell tower looks like an Italian campanile. While the church itself is in the formal classical temple architecture of the ancient Greeks and Romans. This style is perfectly suited to local conditions. A large open interior space for worship is particularly useful in making air circulation easy, which is important in the tropical climate of northern India.

Side view of the church from the bell tower end.

 Side of the church from the front end.

 Chancel end of the church with the campanile or the bell tower on right.

 

Another view of the Church from the back with the bell tower.
(Picture Courtesy: Shweta Sherry, Mathura)

F.S.Growse in his 'Mathura A District Memoir' wrote "The only exceptions are the lofty minarets of the Jama Masjid on the one side, and the campanile of the English Church seen through the trees in the distance below".

Church Muttra: Coloured Printed Postcard by Moorli Dhur & Sons, Ambala.
(Source: ebid.net)

Notice the bright red colour on the church, its possible that the church was earlier painted in a darker shade. Red is a common color for many Anglican churches of the time.

 

The front porch and entrance to the Church.

Here's a link to another post card printed in 1910 with the English Church as it appeared from front: click here. Do visit wiki.fibis.org - an encyclopaedia about life in British India. Its a great resource.

 

The Front porch and the entrance door as they appear today.

The main entrance door, notice the beautiful wedge wood plaster work over the door.

 Close up of the beautiful wedge wood work perhaps in plaster or wood over the main entrance door.

When I visited the church the presbyter in charge was not on the location, so I could not see the church from inside. I am lucky to have come across Shweta from Mathura who was very kind enough to share pictures from inside. All of the pictures below have been shared by her except the last two.

The Holy altar, decorated perhaps for a festival or wedding.

Another close up of the Altar - this time without the decoration.

Holiness to the Lord - inscriptions as the steps to the Altar.

 The chancel and the Altar.

The Stained glass window behind he altar.

The stained-glass were a later addition to the church. They were put in memory of a young officer of the 10th Hussars, who met his death by an accident while "out pig-sticking near Shergarh".

Close up of the stained glass window.

A memorial tablet on the Church wall, perhaps of the same person in whose memory the stained glass windows were added.

 Church pews as they appear from the Chancel.

Church as it appear from the entrance door.

The Pulpit.

The Presbyter's chair.

At the entrance gate to the church compound. Christ Church formerly Church of England now Church of North India - Diocese of Agra.

The post card from Colonial period showing the Church.

Please do leave your comments and in case you have old pictures or other information related to the church, then please do share on my email: niklucknow@gmail.com.

St. Peter's Church (Church of North India), Charbagh, Lucknow

I have another blog on on themes around Colonial Lucknow, where I have recently posted about the St. Peter's Church at Charbagh in Lucknow.

It belongs to the Church of North India. Please have a look.

http://coloniallucknow.blogspot.in/2016/04/st-peters-railwaymens-church-charbagh.html

Holy Redeemer Church (Roman Catholic), Lucknow.

The Holy Redeemer Church (Roman Catholic) in Lucknow was consecrated in 1934. You can view the post on my other blog on themes around colonial Lucknow: http://coloniallucknow.blogspot.in.

Use this link to directly reach the post: http://coloniallucknow.blogspot.in/2015/04/holy-redeemer-church-roman-catholic.html.

Churches at Purandar Fort, Pune

While searching for information on churches in Pune area, Google produced a picture of a derelict church in Purandar Fort. Its unusual location caught my interest. Purandar Fort (sometimes called Purandhar and even Poorundhar) is an old Maharatta fort standing 4472 feet above the sea and is located 50 kms southeast of Pune ahead of village Saswad. In 1818 the British under General Pritzler took over the fort. Used mainly as a sanatorium for British soldiers, during World War II it became a German internment camp. Hermann M Selzer in ‘World War II in British India’ states ‘Purandhar was established as family camp for Jews and other anti-Nazis…Interment and Parole Camp’.

Purandar is a popular trekking destination for the locals who refer to the structure as the ‘abandoned’ or the ‘old’ church. On further research I found that there are not 1 but 2 places of Christian worship in this fort ‘situated on a mountain top...  far away from any major town… completely isolated’.

Note: None of the below pictures are mine. For each of the pictures I have mentioned the source. If the respective owners want me to remove any of these, please leave a note on my blog and I shall comply.

1st place of worship on Purandar Fort: The church

(Pic Source: fort-trekking.blogspot.com)

2nd place of worship on Purandar Fort: The Chapel

(Pic Source: panoramio.com)

The Fitzclarence Memorial Church

(Pic Source: team-bhp.com)

'And the little church in memory of Lord Frederick Fitzclarence (died A.D. 1856), son of King William IV, is likewise a very provincial product.’ Source: German Missions in British India – Nationalism: Case and Crisis in Missions.

Another source names it as Holy Trinity Church. 'The beautiful little garrison church of Holy Trinity was consecrated in 1865, it is an English architecture style constructed building... It is associated with the memory of Lord Frederick Fitzclarence, a cousin of queen Victoria, who was commandant of the Bombay army and died in Purandhar in 1854'.

View of the beautiful valley from the church roof

(Pic Source: www.tripoto.com)

Church as it appears from the valley beneath

(Pic Source: www.tripoto.com)

The church is located just beyond one of the main fort gates

(Pic Source: marathachronicles.blogspot.in)

'On Sunday mornings there was the possibility that at least three Protestant denominational services might be held at Purandhar Camp.  The internees had the occasion to worship with those persons of their belief and national sentiments.  Anglican, Lutheran and Presbyterian worship services - weekly, monthly or irregularly, depending upon the availability of the chaplain, the minister or the missionary-were held at the "small pretty church there" the Fitzclarence Memorial Church, just east of the main entrance gate of the camp' Source: German Missions in British India – Nationalism: Case and Crisis in Missions.

The main entrance door to the church - the picture appears to be taken before the white wash of the walls from inside

(Picture by Roopesh Kohad on flickr.com)

Side view of the Church with the buttresses and further ahead a conical roof perhaps that of the vestry

(Pic Source: team-bhp.com)

Map of India just outside the church

(Pic Source: team-bhp.com)

The chancel end of the Church - which once adorned the stained glass windows - picture taken during monsoons

(Pic Source: www.summitpost.org)

‘And with Purandhar’s magnificent flora - probably the most varied in India within this limited space, it is not difficult to imagine the beautiful setting of the Fitzclarence Memorial Church and its altar graced by the sunlight streaming through the elegant stained-glass windows. These Christian baptisms were inspirational moments...’ Source: German Missions in British India – Nationalism: Case and Crisis in Missions

The Belfry

(Pic Source: panoramio.com)

A 1945 picture complete with the bell, doors and windows

Decorated perhaps by the Army at Christmas

(Pic Source: team-bhp.com)

Decorated perhaps by the Army at Christmas - Inside the church

(Pic Source: team-bhp.com)

Inside the Church before the white wash (names scribbled all over the walls) - raised platform on the left perhaps for the pulpit

(Picture by Dinesh Valke on flickr.com)

Closer to the altar - door on right perhaps to the vestry

(Picture by raymasky on flickr.com)

'I remember how we also decorated the church altar for the baptisms, for the many which took place.  It was especially pretty.  Each one thought how attractively they could adorn the church' Source: German Missions in British India – Nationalism: Case and Crisis in Missions

The Nave before the white wash - the beautiful wooden beams supporting the roof have been very poorly white washed

(Pic Source: picasa)

The windows at the Chancel end of the church

(Pic Source: team-bhp.com)

2nd place of worship: The chapel

View of the chapel with arched windows and the potico on the right

(Picture by raymasky on flickr.com)

'The Roman Catholic fathers held their masses in the smaller chapel situated between Purandhar East and West' Source: German Missions in British India – Nationalism: Case and Crisis in Missions

Closer view of the chapel

(Pic Source: fortsandtreks.blogspot.com)

With buttresses and arched widows - chancel on the left

(Pic Source: tripoto.com)

Front of the Chapel with the portico - visitors enjoying the weather

(Pic source: tripoto.com)

The portico

(Picture by raymasky on flickr.com)

The Belfry

(Picture by Abhijit Rao on tripr.in)

Sun shine through the Belfry

(Pic Source: cyclists.in)

The chancel end of the Chapel - with perhaps the vestry on left

(Picture by Dinesh Valke on flickr.com)

A closer view of the roof

(Picture by Dinesh Valke on flickr.com)

The chapel appears to me like a scaled down version of the design used for St. Mary's Church in Belgaum, Karnataka - picture below. Notice the similarities in the belfry, the portico and the roof.

(Pic Source: industrialtour.com)

The Nave and the chancel

(Picture by Amit Rawat on flickr.com)

Please leave your comments on how you found the post. Also if you have any other information or pictures that I can add to the post.