BENGALURU: The St Francis Xavier’s Cathedral on St John’s Church Road in Cleveland Town is one of the oldest churches in the city, dedicated to St Francis Xavier, who is said to be one of the first seven Jesuits.
How Catholics Reached Bengaluru
Jesuits were the first to bring Christianity to Bengaluru, says Rev Fr Anthappa I, a retired priest and historian. Speaking about how Catholics came to the city, he says Catholics were mostly concentrated in Portugal, Italy and France. The British and Europeans were mostly Protestants.
“As the British had political power, it was difficult for the Missions Etrangeres de Paris (MEP), a congregation of Christianity, to enter their colonies (like India),” he says. “But the MEPs had great influence on the French authorities.” And they exercised this political power to come to India.
“During the Anglo-Mysore war, Tipu Sultan’s father Hyder Ali had written a letter to Napoleon seeking help in the battle against the British. Napoleon replied that only if Hyder Ali allows French fathers to accompany the soldiers, he would send his military. Hyder agreed and an agreement was made. That is how Catholics came to Bengaluru and Fr Chevalier was one among the MEPs.”
First Church
Fr Chevalier was the first Parish priest. He built the first church of St Francis Xavier in 1851. A small chapel was inaugurated in 1854. It was built on a site measuring 550 feet square which was sold for `1,000 to Fr Chevalier by Zulime Watkins, a French Catholic and a widow of British Commander, Capt Watkins. After the death of Bishop Charbonnaux, Fr Chevalier was appointed Bishop of Mysore in 1873. He died in 1880 and laid to rest in St Patrick’s Church, Bengaluru.
The church was becoming inadequate because of the growing population, as the thousand Catholics grew to 15,000 in the late 1890s under the Parish priest Fr J B Servanton. It comprised of the present parishes of Holy Ghost, St James, Marianapalya, St John the Evangelist, M R Palyam, Ascension Church, St Mary Town, St Pius X, Kamanahalli, Good Shepherd, Murphy Town, Our Lady of Lourdes, Whitefield and a portion of Christ the King, Malleswaram.
Reading Signs
In 1905, the cross from the tower fell down and Fr J B Servanton took it as a sign to build a new church. The foundation stone was laid in 1911. He made personal appeals by tapping every source, and holding concerts and dramas, to raise funds for the church. Finally after a toil of 21 years, the church was opened in 1932. In 1940, Bangalore was established as a separate diocese and St Francis Xavier’s Church was chosen as a Cathedral. Rev Dr Thomas Pothacamury was the first Indian Bishop of Bangalore, appointed in 1942. The Cathedral was consecrated by him on January 24, 1948.
Fr Servanton dedicated 50 years to pastoral service. After he died in 1948, he was laid to rest in his own Church at St Francis Xavier’s Cathedral. The Bengaluru City Corporation honoured him by naming the circle in front of St Germaine High School as Father Servanton Circle in 1961. Rev Fr Anthappa recalls laughing, “I was a student. While playing in the compound, I remember Fr Servanton coming and scolding me when the ball used to enter his office.”
The first Plenary Council of India was held in the Cathedral Parish Hall in 1950.
Platinum Jubilee
The Cathedral was renovated in 2003 and opened in 2007 for its platinum jubilee celebrations. An arch at the main entrance of the church was constructed. The windows were mounted with stained glass that depict general themes from the Holy Bible. But the main granite stone structure has been retained, say the Cathedral officials.
Mass in Many Languages The Church holds masses in English, Kannada and Tamil every day.
St Francis Xavier
A Roman Catholic missionary, St Francis’ is believed to be one of the first seven Jesuits who started evangelisation especially in Asia. In 1542, he departed from Lisbon to the East. He was appointed as a apostolic nuncio (a permanent diplomatic representative of the Holy See to a state or international organisation) to the East. He arrived in Goa on May 6, 1952. Francis’ primary mission, as ordered by King John III, was to restore Christianity among the Portuguese settlers in Goa. They had churches, clergy, and a bishop, but only a few preachers. Xavier decided to instruct the Portuguese themselves, and allotted much of his time to teach children.