St. Aloysius

St. Aloysius, located in Mangalore, Dakshina Kannada, Karnataka, encompasses St. Aloysius College and its associated chapel, both established by Italian Jesuit missionaries during the Mangalore Mission that began in 1878. The college was built in 1880, followed by the chapel in 1884, situated on Lighthouse Hill in the heart of the city. The chapel's interiors, painted between 1899 and shortly after by Italian Jesuit artist Antonio Moscheni, depict the life of Saint Aloysius Gonzaga, scenes from the life of Jesus, and various Catholic and Jesuit saints, including St. Thomas the Apostle, St. Francis of Assisi, and St. Peter Claver. The paintings, covering about 600 square metres in fresco and 400 square metres in oil on canvas, are considered artistically significant and unusual for their extent in Indian chapels. The Jesuits associated with the institution played a major role in education, health, and social welfare among the Mangalorean Catholic community, founding several other institutions and churches. The chapel's paintings underwent scientific restoration by INTACH specialists from 1991 to 1994 under Dr. Om Prakash Agrawal, preserving their historical and artistic value.