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UNESCO Asia-Pacific Heritage Award for Vasai’s Cathedral

26 February 20261 min read
AWARDS & PERSONSUNESCO Asia-PacificHeritage Award forVasai’s Cathedral26 February 2026safalsetu.com

Why in the news

A Maharashtra monument, Our Lady of Grace Cathedral in Vasai, earned an Award of Merit in the 2025 round of UNESCO’s Asia-Pacific heritage conservation awards.

About the awards

  • A UNESCO programme honouring outstanding heritage conservation projects in Asia-Pacific, started in 2000.
  • Rewards restoration that mixes technical skill, cultural authenticity and community involvement.

Objectives

  • Promote quality conservation of historic sites and protect cultural integrity and sustainability.
  • Involve local communities in protecting heritage.
  • Support adaptive reuse so structures last longer.

About the cathedral

  • Location: Papdy village, Vasai, Maharashtra.
  • A 16th-century Catholic cathedral, about 475 years old, reflecting early Portuguese colonial architecture on India’s western coast.
  • Built from stone and mud mortar, without modern cement.

Exam angle

  • Prize: Award of Merit (2025); awards established 2000.

Test yourself

1. Which monument received the Award of Merit at the 2025 UNESCO Asia-Pacific Awards for Cultural Heritage Conservation?

The award went to Our Lady of Grace Cathedral, Vasai in Maharashtra.

2. In which year were the UNESCO Asia-Pacific Awards for Cultural Heritage Conservation established?

The notes state they were established in the year 2000.

3. Our Lady of Grace Cathedral in Vasai reflects architecture from which colonial power?

It represents early Portuguese colonial architecture.

This topic is part of Daily Current Affairs 25 February 2026 (9 topics).

All topics of the dayDay quizFebruary 2026

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