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St. Xavier's High School Chapel, Dhobitalao (1864)
 On
1 March 1874 the Eucharist was offered for the first time and
the Hall-cum-chapel was thrown open to the public.
The Mass was celebrated by the Rector, Fr.Henry Depelchin.
Many of the German SJs were present. Along with a sprinkling
of lay people, there were about 120 Irish soldiers who had
their headquarters in Pune but had come on military duty and
camped on the Esplanade, almost next door to the chapel.
Before the chapel was thrown open to the public, the Jesuit
Community had their services on the upper storey, with the 2
altars of our Lady and St. Joseph. There were brought to the
chapel on 1 March 1874. When the foundation-stone of Saint
Xavier was laid, on 13-1-1868, by Fr. Charles Wagner (assisted
by Bros. George Kluwer and Eusebius Pereira, on the Esplanade
Cross Road (subsequently named Carnac Road, and now L. Tilak
Marg) and the 3 wings in 1873, the huge building was the only
one on the sprawling Esplanade - from Dhobi Talao on one side,
to V.T. station on the other. At first the chapel was used as
the School and College Hall (the college was in this building
till 1900). Martin Pinto, who joined SXHS in Jan. 1923, used
to serve Mass almost daily here.
 The
Hall-cum-chapel served as a place for cultural and dramatic
sessions and the annual Prize Distribution. Fr. A. M. Coyne
erected the new wing and provided the present Hall. Today,
1974, the original woodwork is only partly in existence. The
ceiling has been lowered, the beautiful galleries removed, and
part of the upper half of the woodwork too.
Fondly recalled are the Jesuits like A. Deniz, S. Morant, A.
Hetting, E. Hoogwerf, J. H. Gense and Bros. Wm. Hillebrand,
Geo, Kluwer,Geo. Koppl, Herman Lau, John Muller, Henry Preute
and Francis Preute. These Brothers worked like Trojans between
1868 – 73, to give this beautiful building to Bombay. |
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