Colaba’s Afghan Church, the 165-year-old war memorial, reopens after a ₹14-crore renovation

Restoration of Mumbai's historic Afghan Church, a Grade I heritage structure, completed by WMFI and Citi Bank India.

Built in the memory of the soldiers who died in the Anglo-Afghan war, the 165-year-old Church of St John the Evangelist, commonly known as the Afghan Church in Mumbai’s Colaba, is an Anglican structure that stands tall as a testimony to time.

Recently, World Monuments Fund India (WMFI) completed a 24-month (from March 2022) restoration project of the church, which reopened its doors to the public on March 3, 2024. WMFI in partnership with Citi Bank India funded ₹14 crores to restore the war memorial church in collaboration with the Afghan Church’s Pastorate Committee & Custodian.  

A spokesperson from the Afghan Church Pastorate Committee says, “The sheer size of the structure, years of deterioration, the amount of work required and our limited funds, meant we were facing an almost impossible task. After many years of effort, the WMFI Association, with funding from Citi Bank India, engaged a highly skilled team of heritage restoration professionals enabling the successful restoration of this magnificent church to its former glory.” 

The building and its setting acts as a touchstone for the early settlement of Bombay. Affiliated with the Mumbai Diocese of the Church of North India, this Gothic church is designated as a Grade I heritage structure and was constructed between 1847 and 1858. 

The church property sits within the residential zone of the Western Naval command, propounding a cantonment imageability, resplendent with old bungalows and tree covered avenues. Being the Garrison Church of Bombay, it has always been a popular venue for military weddings, as a result of which it was dubbed the ‘Bride’s church’.

There is another reason you may find it familiar: many Hindi films have also been shot in this church — Black, Brothers, OK Jaanu, Force 2 and 102 Not Out. 

Designed by Henry Conybeare, the Afghan Church commemorates various regiments, including the Bombay Army, the Madras Army, the Bengal Army, and HM’s army, and other regiments who fought in the First Anglo-Afghan War I (1838- 1940) and Second Anglo-Afghan War(1878-1880).