Leaking cathedral set to be restored

Mysore: The historical St Philomena's Cathedral, that has been badly in need of repair for years, is all set to be restored to its original glory by the Department of Archaeology, Museums and Heritage.

Built in the neo- Gothic style in 1933 during the reign of Mysore Maharaja Nalvadi Krishnaraja Wodeyar in place of the cathedral that had stood at the spot since 1843, the St Philomena's Cathedral has a leaking roof and walls weakened by seepage of rain water.

While the roof of the cathedral has been leaking for over five years and the roof of the basement where St Philomena sanctuary is located, is damaged, no repairs have been carried out so far. The electrical network and the drainage system in its grounds too are badly in need of repair, according to Father William, who is in-charge of the cathedral. While the estimated cost of the project is Rs 5.85 crore, the state government has sanctioned Rs 2 crore and department of tourism Rs 50 lakh, he reveals.

"We recently met the Bishop of Mysore, Thomas Antony Vazhapilly and Father William to hear their suggestions on how the cathedral should be restored," said Commissioner of Department of Archaeology, Museums and Heritage Dr C.G. Besturmath, adding that tenders would soon be called for the repair work which is likely to begin in January 2014 once the rains subside.

The department of archaeology assures that effort will be made to keep the original structure intact and care taken not to destroy the heritage value of the cathedral, which has still not been declared a heritage structure.