Why in News?
Our Lady of Grace Cathedral, Vasai (Maharashtra) has received the Award of Merit at the 2025 UNESCO Asia-Pacific Awards for Cultural Heritage Conservation.
About the UNESCO Asia-Pacific Awards for Cultural Heritage Conservation
- A UNESCO initiative recognising outstanding heritage conservation projects across the Asia-Pacific region.
- Honours restoration work that combines technical excellence, cultural authenticity and community participation.
Established
- Year 2000.
Objectives
- Promote high-quality conservation of historic sites.
- Preserve cultural integrity and sustainability.
- Encourage community participation in heritage protection.
- Support adaptive reuse of heritage structures for long-term preservation.
About Our Lady of Grace Cathedral, Vasai
- Papdy village, Vasai, Maharashtra.
Historical Significance
- A 16th-century Catholic cathedral.
- Represents early Portuguese colonial architecture in India.
- Built around 475 years ago during Portuguese rule on India’s western coast.
- Constructed using traditional materials such as stone and mud mortar, without modern cement.
