Christian Groups Urge Protection Of 17th-Century Church Ruins In Thane Amid Land Dispute

Christian groups have written to the Directorate of Archaeology and Museums, Maharashtra, to preserve and restore the ruins of the 17th-century Our Lady of Mercy Church, Thane, and designate the structure as a protected historical monument.

The Association of Concerned Christians said that the site of the Portuguese-era ruins need to be protected to prevent further damage or encroachment of the site. 

The local Catholic community said that the church, known historically as Nossa Senhora das Mercês, Pokhran 2, is believed to have been constructed in 1562 by Portuguese Jesuit priests. It is one of the earliest Christian monuments in the region and holds immense religious, cultural, and historical value, they said.

Recently local Catholics realised that the Thane Municipal Corporation's Development Plan for 2026-2046 has excluded the ruins, designating the land under a 'playground reservation'. The community alleged that the omission was deliberate and discriminatory. Community groups have filed complaints as they are concerned that without any documentation, the ruins are vulnerable to vandalism and encroachment.

The ruins are abandoned because of the litigation over what the local Catholic community said was a 'fraudulent mutation of the land in the name of Janaka Devi Utkarsh Mandal'. The local parish trust of the Our Lady of Mercy Church, and Thane's St John the Baptist Church Trust, have not been able to protect the ruins because of the dispute.

The Directorate of Archaeology and Museums said that the ruins are the only example of a Portuguese-era structure in Thane that has survived. “It was built by priests of the Jesuits order in the first quarter of the 17th century. It is good historical evidence of that period,” said archaeologist Mayur Thakare who added that the directorate had written to the Thane Municipal Corporation and the District Collector a few years earlier that the site was an important monument and needs protection.

“Even if the structure is not protected, the local authorities are supposed to preserve it. We were ready to protect it but once the structure is listed as a monument it cannot be used for worship. The local community wanted to use the site for regular worship. The issue was closed for us," said Thakare.

Melwin Fernandes from the Association of Concerned Christians, said, “Nearly 6,000 parishioners and beneficiaries of the church trust stand to lose not only a place of worship but a crucial symbol of their cultural and historical identity if urgent steps are not taken.”