St. John Baptist Church, Thane

The St. John Baptist Church is a noted landmark in the district of thane. It is situated near the Masunda Lake, close to the Thane Railway Station. The Baptist Church was formerly called the St. Anthony’s Church and was constructed in 1852 under the leadership and guidance of Fr. Antonio do Porto by the Portuguese (Franciscans) Missionaries.

In 1737, when the Maratha Empire seized the area of Thane, all the churches were demolished, save the St. Anthony Church. This is when the church’s name was changed from St. Anthony to St. John the Baptist.

Over the years several changes have been made to the Franciscan church. It has undergone a lot of renovations to fortify the structure. The wooden altar, however, still remains intact. The front porch was extended to accommodate the increasingly growing number of church members and parishioners, sometime in 1965.