IC Colony (Immaculate Conception Colony) is a locality about in area in the suburb of

Borivali Borivali (Pronunciation: oːɾiʋəliː is a suburb and is located at the north-western end of Mumbai and has a large Gujarati population followed by others. Traditionally the tribals and East Indians lived in Borivali. The attractions incl ...

in north-west

Mumbai Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the secon ...

. IC Colony has the highest concentration of Christians, particularly of Roman Catholics in

. The name is derived from the Church of the

Immaculate Conception The Immaculate Conception is the belief that the Virgin Mary was free of original sin from the moment of her conception. It is one of the four Marian dogmas of the Catholic Church, meaning that it is held to be a divinely revealed truth wh ...

, or IC Church, which is at the South Eastern entrance of the colony. The Holy Cross Colony and extension (also called IC extension), on Holy Cross Street, which extends beyond IC Colony towards

Dahisar Dahisar (Marathi pronunciation: ̪əɦisəɾ is the northernmost neighborhood (and railway station) of Mumbai. Dahisar is the first locality of Mumbai from the north. The suburb is a very cosmopolitan suburb, which has a large Gujarati popul ...

(Mumbai's last zone before

Thane district Thane district (Pronunciation: �ʰaːɳe previously named Taana or Thana) is a district in the Konkan Division of Maharashtra, India. At the 2011 Census it was the most populated district in the country, with 11,060,148 inhabitants; however, ...

) is also part of the extended Catholic locale. Many old mansions can be found here though most are now broken down to make way for newer apartment buildings. The

Postal Index Number A Postal Index Number (PIN; sometimes redundantly a PIN code) refers to a six-digit code in the Indian postal code system used by India Post. On 15 August 2022, the PIN system celebrated its 50th anniversary. History The PIN system was int ...

for the colony is 400103. The colony has accessibility to the Link Road, SV Road,

Gorai Gorai ( �oɾaːi is a village at Dharavi Bhet, in Mumbai, India. It is located on the North-western part of the island of Salsette. Gorai is accessed more usually by a ferry crossing the Manori Creek and Gorai creek or otherwise by the over ...

Manori Manori is a village located on Dharavi Bet in northern Mumbai, India. It is known for its beach and the Manori Creek. Transportation * Manori can be reached by road via Bhayander, Dahisar Check naka. * The sea route, however, is relatively ...

Uttan Uttan is a coastal town just north of Mumbai in Thane district of Maharashtra. A coastal town, it comes under the jurisdiction of the Mira-Bhayandar Municipal Corporation. Part Jurisdiction is also handed over to the Mumbai Meteropolitan Region ...

beaches, the

Western Express Highway The Western Express Highway, abbreviated to WEH (officially Ali Yavar Jung Marg after the former Governor of Maharashtra), is a major north–south 8-10 lane arterial road in Mumbai, India, stretching from the suburb of Mira Road to Bandra. T ...

, Western Railway Line, and the new Mumbai Metro Line 2A.

History

I.C. Church (Immaculate Conception Church)

One of the oldest churches in Mumbai, it was built in 1547 AD by the

Franciscans , image = FrancescoCoA PioM.svg , image_size = 200px , caption = A cross, Christ's arm and Saint Francis's arm, a universal symbol of the Franciscans , abbreviation = OFM , predecessor = , ...

. The Franciscan Fr, Antonio Do Porto earlier owned the village of Mount Poinsur. Soon the Franciscan bought the neighbouring villages of Pare(Goregaon) and Arrangal around 1556 A.D.- 1559A. D. Adjoining the Church they also built a Royal College and Monastery in 1549, the ruins of which are still standing close to the present Church building. The

Mandapeshwar Caves ''The Mandapeshwar Caves'' ( mr, मंडपेश्वर गुहा) is an 8th Century rock-cut shrine dedicated to Shiva located near Mount Poinsur in Borivali, a suburb of Mumbai in Maharashtra, India. The caves were originally Buddhis ...

had been used by the Franciscans as a crypt of the Church and later Served for the Parishioners. Around 1630 there was about 1500 parishioners in the villages of Mount Poinsur, Dhainsa (Dahisar), Simpor, Canary (Kanheri) and Cassor. It was around this time that the name of the church was changed to 'Our Lady of Immaculate Conception' from 'Our Lady of Piety'. During the Maratha invasion of 1739, Mount Poinsur was captured and the Franciscans dispersed. The Church, Friary and College were pillaged and left in ruins. The following 150 years saw the already damaged structure disintegrate into further ruins. In 1888, through the efforts of the people of

Bandra Bandra (Indian English, æːɳɖɾa also known as Vandre (Help:IPA/Marathi, �aːn̪d̪ɾe is an upscale coastal suburb located in Mumbai (Bombay) area of the Konkan division, Maharashtra, India. The suburb is located to the immediate nor ...

and under the guidance of the Dean of Thane, Fr. Joao Bras Fernandes rebuilt the old parish Church and has been functioning till date. It is the second most populated parish in Mumbai. There is a Marathi speaking Protestant congregation called the ''Methodist Marathi Church Borivali'' - in IC Colony.

Saint Francis D'Assisi High School Saint Francis D'Assisi High School is a school for boys located in IC Colony, Borivali West, Mumbai, India. Overview The school is managed by the Franciscan Missionary Brothers, a Catholic religious society founded by Paulus Moritz, a G ...

, located next to the church and

Mary Immaculate Girls' High School The Mary Immaculate Girls' High Schools are located in Kalina and Borivali in the city of Mumbai, India. They are Catholic schools, established and administered by the Mission Sisters of Ajmer, members of an Indian religious congregation. The s ...

are also located in I.C. Colony.

Vibgyor High School VIBGYOR Group of Schools is a chain of schools, the first of which was established in 2004 in Goregaon, Mumbai, India. Under the leadership of Rustom Kerawalla, Founder Chairman of the Institution, the VIBGYOR Group has opened 40 schools in four ...

is now in I.C. Colony. It has Mumbai's biggest pet park.

References

{{reflist Neighbourhoods in Mumbai Borivali