St. Michael's Church (Mumbai)

St. Michael's Church Mahim Church
Picture of the St. Michael's Church in Mumbai
Location of St. Michael's Church in Mumbai
Basic information
Location	Mahim, Mumbai, India
Geographic coordinates	19°02′33″N 72°50′26″E / 19.042525°N 72.840557°E / 19.042525; 72.840557Coordinates: 19°02′33″N 72°50′26″E / 19.042525°N 72.840557°E / 19.042525; 72.840557
Affiliation	Roman Catholic
Rite	Novena
Country	India
Year consecrated	1534; 483 years ago (1534)
Ecclesiastical or organizational status	Active

St. Michael's Church is one of the oldest Catholic churches in Mumbai. The church is situated in Mahim, located at the intersection of L.J. Road and Mahim Causeway. The church was originally built by the Portuguese in 1534. Initially known as San Miguel, it is the oldest Portuguese Franciscan church in Mumbai. It was rebuilt a number of times; the present structure dating to 1973. The church also served as a refuge to the popular icon of the Virgin Mary from Our Lady of the Mount chapel, Bandra from 1739 to 1761.

Due to its location, it is also informally known as Mahim Church. The church is famous for its Novenas on Wednesdays, which is visited by thousands.

The original St. Michael's Church is believed to have been built in 1534 by António do Porto, a church builder of the Franciscan Order. When the Marathas conquered Salsette in 1739, Our Lady of the Mount chapel in Bandra was destroyed by the Portuguese at the instance of the British so that its location remained secret to the Marathas. In this time, St. Michael's Church was the refuge place for the image of the Blessed Virgin from the chapel. The image remained in St. Michael's till 1761, when it was moved to its present structure in Bandra.

In 1853, St. Michael's Church witnessed a struggle between Bishop Anastasius Hartmann and the padroado order. St. Michael's was in control of the vicars apostolic for nearly 60 years. In 1853, a discontented group decided that the control be handed over to the padroado party. To prevent this, Hartmann as the vicars's leader, went to the church and declared that "he would rather die a martyr than surrender the church to the schismatics". Hartmann and his followers stayed in the church with enough food and water for 15 days. Hartmann's opponents had laid "siege" to the church in this period, blocking all entrances. On the 15th day, civil authorities intervened and insisted that the church be reopened. Following this, Hartmann lost control of the church, passing it to padroado order.