St. Thomas Cathedral was the first Anglican church in Mumbai. The construction of this church dragged on for more than 40 years.
In 1676, the Governor-General of Bombay, which had passed from Portuguese rule into English hands, began building the church, caring for the spiritual life of his compatriots living in the colonies of British India.
Unfortunately, his initiative constantly ran into obstacles - uprisings by the local population, outbreaks of plague, and the simple lack of funding delayed the completion of construction. Only in 1718 was St. Thomas Church completed, thanks to the efforts of the young chaplain Richard Cobbe.
The patron saint of the Anglican church was St. Thomas (or Saint Thomas), one of the 12 apostles. According to legend, after the crucifixion of Christ, Thomas set out on a journey with a caravan of spice merchants and reached the southwestern coast of India. In the territory of the present-day state of Kerala, Thomas began preaching Christianity and founded the first Christian church in India.
In 1837, the church received cathedral status, and a year later a tall white clock tower was added to it, which became the hallmark of St. Thomas Cathedral.
The church is built in the classic colonial style from white stone, and the tall stained-glass windows cast colored shadows on the antique carved panels inside the church.
