Structurally small but rich in history

Situated amidst the military Golf course at Bolaram, the St Francis Xavier’s Church stands out for its elegance and historical relevance.

Built almost two centuries ago, it is housed inside the sprawling Valerian Grammar High School campus and present a serenity that is breathtaking, thanks to its landscape.

The woods around adds to the charm.

With around 150 families, the church is not too big to accommodate too many but its roof goes high up giving it perfect acoustics implying that there was no need of an electronic sound system.

The church has a gothic influence, albeit on a smaller scale.

It was in 1839 that Fr Daniel Murphy was posted to the mission of Hyderabad to help build a church.

Secunderabad, the British Army cantonment, was considered as an alternative site and in 1840 Fr Murphy started building St. Mary’s Basilica which was completed by 1850.

He also built St Francis Xavier Church in Bolarum (now Yapral) in 1842.

After he left Hyderabad, pastoral care of Bolaram continued at a very slow pace as greater success was experienced by the missionaries in new territories, though some of the Bishops temporarily resided at Bolaram, the last one being Msgr Vismara Dionigi PIME, who lived there till 1936, before shifting to St Mary’s Presbytery.

Being located in the Cantonment, Bolaram catered mostly to the needs of the army personnel, rather than real missionary work.

Hence over the years Bolaram became more of a retreat centre or summer residence for the missionaries, maintained initially by the Capuchin priest and later by the Redemptoristsl, who served the longest, though in two phases (1957-1961 and 1965-1982)

The changing demographics required a school for the local children.

Fr Joseph Vadaka, thus pioneered Valerian Grammar School.

In 1982 the parish and school went through a severe financial crisis due to mismanagement, but with the intervention of the Diocese, during the tenure of Fr Mulaguri Dhanraju the Procurator, and with the assistance of Nicodemus, a retired accountant, a proper accounting system was put in place.

Fr Thanugundla Solomon actually standardised the school and established it on a firm footing.

Ever since the school and the parish have co-exited and prospered, reaching out to the poor and needy in the vicinity.

With the shell intact, the church was renovated in 2015.

The church even today stands in a beauty that combines an old yet newly renovated look.

The insides of the church are furnished with pews, a stone built alter and podiums that match what the present liturgy demands.

Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH) pronounced it to be a heritage structure of the city in 2016.