500-year-old Seepz church opens doors for annual mass

Christian community members gathered in large numbers at the 500-year-old St. John the Baptist Church at Seepz in Andheri, which was opened for its annual mass on Sunday morning. Tucked away in a green patch inside the MIDC area, the church, mostly in ruins, is opened once a year on the second Sunday of May.

The grade 2A heritage structure was constructed in 1579, but was abandoned in 1840 after a disease outbreak. Several statues, altars and pillars from the church were shifted to a new church built in nearby Marol.

Since the church falls under MIDC, the community gets limited access to it. “We have been trying to get the church excluded from the MIDC territory so that we can take steps for its preservation,” community member Godfrey Pimenta said.