Vasai’s historical legacy on the global stage; The 16th century old church has been ranked in the top 10 of UNESCO

• This structure has been included among the outstanding conservation projects in the Asia-Pacific region.
• During the conservation, traditional techniques and materials were used instead of modern materials, thereby preserving the original architectural features.
• The work was completed with large funds in collaboration with local experts, artisans and citizens, creating a model of heritage preservation.

VasaiThe iconic Our Lady of Grace Cathedral in Papadi Warsha has been awarded the 2025 UNESCO Asia-Pacific Merit Award for Cultural Conservation. The announcement was made at an award ceremony held in Bangkok. The 475-year-old Our Lady of Grace Cathedool at Papadi in Vasai is also included in this top ten conservation project announced by UNESCO. An atmosphere of excitement and happiness has spread among the Khisti Chandhavs of Vasai.

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The restoration of the church was carried out in 2023-24 with the help of Savani Heritage Conservation, a renowned architectural firm of Mumbai, Sequeira Fine Art from Giridge in Vasai and local skilled workers. Also, the part of the church’s core is decorated with wood carvings. Every year since 2000, the Asia-Pacific Prize has been awarded to architecture, settlements and projects of various countries that preserve cultural heritage by UNESCO. This year marks 25 years of the award and in its silver jubilee year, 10 outstanding projects in the Asia-Pacific region have been honored for their conservation work.

90 nominations received from 16 countries

For the first time in as many years, the organizers said that the highest number of nominations for the award was received, this year’s highest honor ‘Award of Distinction’ went to the Iwami Ginzan Library’ Conservation Project in Oda, Japan and the historic ‘Sihag Warehouse’ Conservation Project in Shanghai, China. A total of 90 nominations from 16 countries were received for the award, with a seven-member international jury judging the project’s understanding of how well the historical and cultural significance of the vastu has been preserved. The winning projects were selected on the basis of three main criteria such as technical skill i.e. the method used for the conservation of Vastu, sustainability and results i.e. the long-term positive impact of the Vastu or the project on the society and the environment.

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4.75 crores for conservation of Vastu

Vasai was occupied by the Portuguese in the sixteenth century. During this period, the church at Papadi is a masterpiece of 16th century Portuguese architecture and a fund of around Rs.4.75 crore was collected for the conservation of this historic building. A special feature of this church renovation is that the church has been renovated using lime in the traditional way without the use of cement.

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