India is a country attacked and ruled by many foreign rulers like British, Portuguese, Muslims, etc. Portuguese came to India from different coastal areas and their invasion is more than five centuries old. They did a lot of destruction and also built many structures as well in India at several places. One such structure created by them in the sixteenth century is St. Michael’s Church which is located at the intersection point of Lady Jamshedji Road and Mahim Causeway in Mahim in the city of Mumbai. Sometimes this church is also called Mahim church due to its location.This church is one of the oldest existing Portuguese structures in the city of Mumbai. Though it was reconstructed several times but still you can call it a Portuguese building. St. Michael’s church is also ranked one of the oldest catholic churches of country.The current structure of the church was restored and reconstructed in the year 1973 but the originally the church was built in the year 1534 by a builder named Antonio Do Porto but during the five centuries many times it was required to rebuild the structure. It may be because of decay of structure due to climatic conditions as well as being built a long time ago it was required to restore the structure.There are five reasons that make this church popular among the population and these are as under:
- It is one of the oldest catholic churches of country.
- It is one of the oldest alive Portuguese structures in Mumbai.
- This church served as a shelter for the popular idol of Christians the Virgin Mary belonging to the Virgin Mary Chapel of Bandra from 1739 to 1761.
- The Jesus Christ’s portrait at the church was seen bleeding near the heart on 27th June 2008 and thousands of devotees including Christians as well as non Christians visited the church from far and wide states to witness the miracle. The scientific investigations denied any traces of blood and gave the reason of climatic change.
- Novena on every Wednesday is also another reason for its popularity. It is attended by thousands of people.
It is believed that if you visit the church for nine consecutive Wednesdays your wish will be fulfilled by the grace of god. If you do not believe what people say then there is no harm in trying. May be your wish get fulfilled. The Novena Service was started at this church in the year 1948. At that time only two services were organised on every Wednesday but today total thirteen services are held from 8.30 in the morning to 10.30 in the evening every Wednesday due to the excessive number of visitors. The services are offered in five different languages. These are English, Konkani, Marathi, Tamil and Hindi.Not only Christians but Hindus also visit the church. As per Hindu way of praying Hindus offer flower garlands to god here. Others also offer wax figures while praying to God. The original church which was constructed in the sixteenth century was adorned with beautiful stained glasses, arched windows, glass paintings, wooden benches, impressive images of Virgin Mary and Jesus Christ, etc. but today it is quite simple as it is reconstructed to restore many times over centuries thus lost its original charm but the faith is still strong among the devotees and that is why thousands of people visit the church every week.The father of the church said that every week this church is visited by almost 40000 to 50000 devotees. There are several stalls located on the footpath opposite the church offering garlands of flowers, wax candles, wax figures, fresh flowers, religious accessories, etc. Once in a while one should attend the Novena service at the church on Wednesday. At the time of festive season the church is illuminated by beautiful lights.Timings of the churchFrom 6.30 am to 11.30 pm every dayAccessibilityThe church is easily reachable using state transport buses, taxies, auto rickshaws or private vehicle from any part of city. Mahim Railway Station is the nearest station to reach the church.Nearby attractions to explore are Mahim Dargah (4 km), Mahim Fort (7.3 km), Bandra Worli Sea Link (3.5 km), St. Sabestian Church (11 km), etc.RUCHI MAHAJANзайм на карту без отказов круглосуточновзять кредит онлайн