Sacred Heart Catholic Church, Mathura

The Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Mathura was begun in 1874 by Frederic Growse, a British civil servant who had become a Catholic and was keen on Indian arts and crafts. It replaced a shed once used as a Catholic chapel. A third of the cost came from Growse himself, with the rest given by other donors, including two bankers, Seth Lakhmi Chand and Seth Lachhman Das, and he meant it to serve Europeans and Indians together.

The layout and proportions follow Gothic principles, but local craftsmen gave the rest an eastern character, seen in the carved doorways, window tracery and the kiosks around the dome. Growse first planned to model the dome on the spire of the Madan Mohan temple at Brindaban, then switched to a Russian design for fear of opposition. Many fittings were gifts, among them a Persian carpet on the altar steps, Stations of the Cross from the 10th Royal Hussars and marble chairs. Growse considered the church unfinished when he was transferred away.