HYDERABAD: On a pleasant February afternoon, as we turn off the General Road in Yapral onto an unpaved side road, a church is visible above closed metal gates. As we make our way in, what meets the eye is a quaint little church. The Valerie grammar school compound that houses this Church is noiseless as students have left for the day. As we make our way inside this, the St Francis Xavier Church guided by Father MM Kennedy, we find that it is a place of surprising quietude. The rows of wooden pews beckon us to sit silently and enjoy the peace.
It is as if the time has stood still in this modest church. Even as there are some well-known cathedrals, some others get neglected despite their attractiveness. A church doesn’t need to have a famous name in order to be awe-inspiring and St Francis Xavier Church is one such gem. This less-known Church is located in a peaceful area away from the hustle and bustle of the city, within the campus of Valerian Grammar High School, in the centre of the Secunderabad Cantonment in Yapral.
This church, small in the area is made in the shape of ‘T’ with aisles on all three sides. During these 40 days of Lent, the devout come out to experience the ‘divine presence’ here and attend special services on Wednesdays and Fridays, apart from the regular morning mass that the Church conducts. A heritage structure, the church’s construction is believed to have started in 1840 by Father Daniel Murphy and is dedicated to Saint Francis Xavier.
Built originally for the British soldiers who lived in this area, Fr Kennedy says that though the St Mary’s Basilica in Secunderabad commenced construction in 1840, “It took ten years to build and was ready in 1850.” Fr Kennedy adds: “However, in the meantime, in 1842 Fr Murphy built the St Francis Xavier Church at Yapral (erstwhile Bolarum). It could be the oldest church in the city/state.” Fr Kennedy who has been the priest here for three years shares that, “The church from its inception seems to have always had a very small community as its members.
This is true even to this day with the membership of 182 families.” The 53-year-old priest adds, “This probably explains why this church has remained more or less unknown.” The 181-year-old Gregorian styled church with big wooden doors still boasts the original architecture and décor. The wooden doors lead to a humble entrance with the crucifix in the front drawing the attention of the devout.
“The 14 stations that depict the Way of the Cross are all original and are reported to have been brought by Fr Murphy from Britain at the time the Church was built,” informs Fr Kennedy. He adds, “Only the walls were restored by the parishioners in 2015 and the Church was re-dedicated to the community by the then Archbishop of Hyderabad.” The church is a lime mortar structure with timber gables supporting a tiled roof. The windows, arches, and doors of the church are based on Gothic designs, an architectural style in Europe that lasted from the mid-12th Century to the 16th Century.
The presbytery (priests’ residence) is attached to the church structure on the rear side and seems to have been built later. “History is written all over this Church’s structure. One look at the tiled roof would reveal various years of manufacture such as 1885 and 1942, with names of companies of those ages,” says Fr Kennedy. It is widely believed that this Church’s campus was used by the Archbishops of Hyderabad and other pastoral staff as a summer residence till the 1950 or 1960’s. Around mid-60’s the abutting campus was developed as a school. The church has been the recipient of the INTACH Heritage Award in 2016. It also received a citation by INATCH in 2018 of ‘Heritage of Generations’ for “protecting and maintaining cultural assets.”
As special services are held in Churches across the World in this holy month of Lent, we visit a hidden little gem in Yapral, the 181-year-old St Francis Xavier Church, reportedly, the oldest Catholic Church in the Twin Cities
— Tamanna S Mehdi tamanna @newindianexpress.com @tamannamehdi