British-era church in Shimla stares at collapse

Faced with the threat of collapse in case a restoration project is undertaken, the 138-year-old St Michael’s Catholic Church near the Deputy Commissioner’s office here is still awaiting structural measures that could prolong the life of the British-era architectural masterpiece.

The Tourism and Civil Aviation Department had to abandon a Rs 15-crore Asian Development Bank-funded conservation and restoration project for the church, the first Roman Catholic Church in the erstwhile summer capital of the British, a few years ago fearing that the entire structure would collapse.

The church, thrown open in 1886, is in dire need of structural repairs with cracks appearing in its columns, floors and chancel arch. The south-west portion of the church, built between 1927 and 1930, has also become vulnerable. “We had invited structural and geo-technical experts from the IIT, Chennai, to inspect the church before starting restoration work almost a decade ago. However, a word of caution that starting a conservation project could bring down the entire structure prevented us from proceeding,” said Manoj Sharma, an official looking after tourism projects.

The opinion of Prof RJ Vasavda, a renowned conservation expert from the Centre for Environmental Planning and Technology, was also taken, he said. The entire roof component comprising a wooden ceiling, trusses and stone gutters of the Catholic Church need complete repairs as there is a lot of leakage. As a result, some wooden elements have weathered.

In fact, the Tourism Department had been advised against any restoration of the architectural and aesthetic elements without addressing the structural problem.

“We have approached the government to undertake repairs at the Catholic Church as it is facing huge damage. A lot of funds will be required for the restoration of the heritage structure,” said Father Anthony Dexen, priest at the church.

In fact, the conservation of the Christ Church on The Ridge was also stalled due to a dispute between various Christian organisations over the ownership of the church. The problem arose at the time of signing of an MoU for the execution of a conservation project as two factions of the Christian community staked claim over its management.

Despite an exhaustive documentation of all churches and cemeteries in Himachal having been done, there has been no headway in the restoration of any of these British-era remnants dotting the state capital.