Shimla’s St Michael Cathedral, a 138-year-old French-Gothic marvel, faces dire structural threats from deepening cracks and sinking foundations. Danger lurks over this historic landmark’s architectural splendour due to neglect and stalled restoration efforts. A report by Nitya Gaba
A remarkable testament to colonial times and the current spiritual ethos, St Michael’s Cathedral faces the prolonged and disheartening threat of structural damage. This 138-year-old church, dating back to 1886, is a cherished landmark of Shimla, housing a splendid organ regarded as the finest in northern India.
The restoration requirement is not a sudden requirement, it’s a plea stretched from various decades. The long and white cracks are running along the ceiling and the floor of the church, marring the structure of the first Roman Catholic Church in the erstwhile summer capital of the British. On top of the damages, the left side or the south-west portion of the church has also started sinking leaving the community worried. Earlier, the cracks were defined as thin lines, but due to recent heavy rains, the cracks have expanded massively, and the damage is increasing day by day.
According to the experts, the entire roof encompasses a ceiling, trusses and the stone gutters of the Catholic Church require thorough going repairs due to extensive leakage. Due to many delays, which made the repairs linger, has unfortunately made the church vulnerable and no simple restoration is possible at the moment. A ray of hope was seen a few years back, the 15 crores restoration and conservation project were proposed.
Experts have highlighted that the entire roof of the Catholic Church, comprising the ceiling, trusses, and stone gutters, requires extensive repairs due to severe leakage. Repeated delays have exacerbated the damage, leaving the church vulnerable and beyond the scope of simple restoration. A ray of hope emerged a few years ago with the proposal of a Rs 15 crore restoration and conservation project. The work on the two-century old catholic church was part of the Asian Development Bank (ADB), which was further abandoned by the Tourism and Civil Aviation Department, by revealing that a sum of Rs. 7.50 crore had been approved for the restoration of the Christ Church on The Ridge, but during the time of signing of the MoU for the implementation of the recovery of the church, two sects of the Christian community staked claim that the management of the church was under them.
According to the sources, even twelve years back, experts came from the IIT, Chennai, to inspect the structural integrity of the church. With the inspection came a word of caution of how it’s dangerous to do just a simple reconditioning as it could bring down the entire structure of the historic Cathedral.
This is recognized among the popular Shimla tourist places, the church is eminent for its French-Gothic Style architecture designed by Henry Irwin, a famous architect who was the Superintendent Engineer and Architect of PWD in Shimla. Its old glassy tapestry alongside its interiors covered with a layer of fine mirror work attracts devotees from all over India.
On top of it, the precious old statue of ‘Our Lady of Guadalupe’ , a gift from Mexico is what makes the church one of a kind. But most importantly it’s the emotions that connect the individuals to the spiritual aspect of St Michaels church. Sadly, the safe place for many individuals is in dire straits.
According to Father Anthony Dexen, priest at the St Michael Church, this is not today’s problem, as this has been going on for the past ten to 15 years. The church has reached out for support from the government and further they have promised to help as well. Twelve years ago, as well, the government promised, when they came and studied the issues of the integrity of the church. According to him, at the time of inspection only, the funding that was raised earlier of 15 crores got pulled back due to some reason, therefore the project failed to get clearance.
Under the jurisdiction of the Shimla-Chandigarh Diocese, the church serves as the spiritual center for a large Catholic community spanning Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, and Punjab.
. On the positive side, the safety of the church has not been compromised as only one portion of the church is sinking, except that the whole building is quite intact and healthy. The plea has not moved to the Central government, it is being only managed at the state level, as the Tourism and Civil Aviation Department is taking care of it.
“It’s a historical building and our concern is to maintain the culture, tradition and the heritage of the building. We hope that the government comes to our help and does the restoration work,” said Father Anthony Dexen.
