List of churches in Chennai

Chennai (erstwhile Madras) is the capital of the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu, located on Coramandel coast off Bay of Bengal. Christianity arrived to Chennai with the Portuguese first arrived in 1522 and built a port called São Tomé after the Christian apostle, St. Thomas, who is believed to have preached in the area between 52 and 70 CE.^[1] The English East India Company under Francis Day bought lands in Chennai and made On 22 August 1639 as Madras Day. A year later, the English built Fort St. George, the first major English settlement in India,^[2] Chennai has seen missionaries from Scotland, United Kingdom and France. San Thome Church is believed to be the oldest Church in Chennai, while there were lot of churches built during the colonial empire.

Open places of worship

Name	Image	Year built	Location	Denomination/ Affiliation	Notes
San Thome Basilica		1897	Santhome 13°02′01″N 80°16′40″E / 13.033611°N 80.2777°E	Roman Catholic	It was built in the 16th century by Portuguese explorers, over the tomb of St Thomas, an Apostle of Jesus. In 1893, it was rebuilt as a church and elevated to the status of a cathedral by the British. It was designed in Neo-Gothic style, favoured by British architects in the late 19th century.
Anderson Church, Chennai		1845	Parry's Corner 13°05′19″N 80°17′18″E / 13.088611°N 80.288333°E	Church of South India	The original structure was built in 1845 by Anderson as an educational institution, which later evolved as Madras Christian College in 1867. The church is named after Anderson, a Scottish missionary who founded the mission of the Free Church of Scotland at Madras, India.[3][4][5]
Armenian Church		1712(1772)	Armenian Street 13°05′21″N 80°17′14″E / 13.0891°N 80.2873°E	Church of South India	The Church, also called Armenian Church of Virgin Mary, was built by Armenian community of Madras and is famous for its belfry of six.[6]
Luz Church		1516	Luz 13°02′00″N 80°15′00″E / 13.033333°N 80.25°E	Roman Catholic	The Church, also called Church of Our Lady of Light, by the locals, which derives from the Portuguese name Nossa Senhora da Luz. Built in 1516 by the Portuguese, it is one of the oldest Churches in the city and its foundation stone marks as one of the oldest European monuments in India.[7]
Descanco Church		17th century	Luz 13°02′00″N 80°15′00″E / 13.033333°N 80.25°E	Roman Catholic	It was built in the 17th century by the Portuguese nobleman, Cosmo Madera of the prominent Madera family who are believed to have given their name to the city of Madras.[8] Descanco Church is built in one of the two spots where the apostle St. Thomas is believed to have preached.
St Andrew's Church		1821	Nungambakkam 13°04′47″N 80°15′49″E / 13.0798°N 80.2637°E	Presbyterian	The church was built to serve the Scottish community in Chennai. Its design was modelled on St. Martin-in-the-Fields. Building started 6 April 1818 and the church was consecrated in 1821.[9]
St. George's Cathedral		1815	Kamaraj Salai 13°03′06″N 80°15′09″E / 13.0518°N 80.2525°E	Church of South India	The cathedral was built in 1815. St. George’s occupies an important place in the history of Christianity in India, as the Church of South India was inaugurated here on September 27, 1947. The Cathedral was packed and the big pandal outside held over 2,000 people. It marked the breaking down of ecclesiastical barriers between Protestants of various traditions.
St. Mary's Church		1680	Kamaraj Salai 13°04′43″N 80°17′12″E / 13.0787°N 80.2866°E	Church of South India	It is the oldest Anglican church East of Suez and also the oldest British building in India. The church is popularly known as the "Westminster Abbey of the East".
Saint Patrick's Cathedral		1680	St. Thomas Mount 13°00′29″N 80°11′43″E / 13.008127°N 80.195403°E	Church of South India
St Mary's Co-Cathedral		1658	Armenian Street 13°05′24″N 80°17′15″E / 13.089866°N 80.287438°E	Church of South India	the church was constructed by a French Capuchin Father Ephrem de Nevers, the First Missionary of Madras who put up "the open pandall chappell" in Armenian Street in 1658. The structure, however, did not survive for long and had to be reconstructed in 1692. The church was renovated in 1775 and 1785 and promoted to the status of the cathedral of the Ecclesiastical Province of Madras in 1886.[10]
St. Lazarus' Church		1582	Raja Annamalaipuram 13°01′35″N 80°16′28″E / 13.026282°N 80.274551°E	Roman Catholic	Lazarus Church was constructed by the Portuguese in the colony of Sao Tome de Meliapore in the 16th century AD. The oldest records of the church date from 1582. The church was rebuilt in 1637 by the Madeiros family and again, in 1928. In 1952, the Church was renamed as the "Church of Our Lady of Guidance".[11]
St. Mark's Church		16th century	George Town 13°06′12″N 80°17′10″E / 13.103200°N 80.286230°E	Church of South India	It is in the neighbourhood of Georgetown in Chennai, India. The construction of the church was commenced by John Goldingham in 1799[12] and completed in 1800.[13]
St. Matthias' Church		1823	Vepery 13°05′14″N 80°15′41″E / 13.087326°N 80.261490°E	Church of South India	It is a Protestant church situated in the neighbourhood of Vepery and was constructed and consecrated in 1823.[14] It was originally a private chapel, the Chapel of Our Lady of Miracles, owned by Coja Petrus Uscan. In November 1752, years after Uscan's death, the chapel was obtained by SPCK, the Danish Protestant mission from Tranquebar for Rs. 50,000.[10] The SPCK renamed the chapel as St. Matthias' Church. The church was consecrated in 1823.[10]
St. Peter's Church		1829[15]	Royapuram 13°06′30″N 80°17′44″E / 13.108333°N 80.295556°E	Roman Catholic	The original structure was built in Gothic architecture in 1829 by Gurukula Vamsha Varnakula Mudaliars, a gang of boatmen who were serving the East India Company. The chapel was controlled by Vicar Apostolic initially and then split into two churches namely St. Peters and St. Antony's based on the two divisions of Gurukula Vamsha Varnakula Mudaliars, with the former supporting Irish Mission and the latter supporting Goanees.[16][17]
St. Thomas Garrison Church		1830	St. Thomas Mount 13°00′08″N 80°11′48″E / 13.002222°N 80.196667°E	Church of South India	The Church was built by the British government at the request of the army officers in the area in 1830. The church was constructed with bomb-proof roof and rust-proof iron railings, and most of the equipments for the construction were imported from Britain. It is located in the foothills of St. Thomas Mount and named after St. Thomas, one of the Twelve apostles who resided at the place during his final years.[18][19]
Wesley Church		1905	Egmore 13°04′46″N 80°15′24″E / 13.079444°N 80.256667°E	Church of South India	The original structure was built in Gothic architecture in 1905 by Wesleyan Mission. It was constructed at Egmore considering the growing needs of it in the area around Egmore. The church is named after Wesley, the founder of Methodist Movement in 140 countries.[20] The church was named after Wesley, the founder of Methodist movement in 140 countries.[21]

Notes

1. "Chennai History". Corporation of Chennai. Retrieved 28 December 2012.
2. Roberts J. M (1997). A short history of the world. Helicon publishing Ltd. p. 277. ISBN 978-0-19-511504-8. Retrieved 28 December 2012.
3. George, Daniel P (10 March 2009). "John Anderson remembered as heritage church turns 150". The Times of India. Retrieved 22 November 2015.
4. S., Muthiah (23 March 2009). "A College’s church". Chennai: The Hindu. Retrieved 22 November 2015.
5. Elias, Esther (17 August 2014). "Church chronicles". Chennai: The Hindu. Retrieved 22 November 2015.
6. Haviland, Charles (11 December 2003). "The Last Armenians in Madras". BBC. Retrieved 13 December 2015.
7. C., Sivaramamurti (1994). "European Tombs and Monuments in Madras". In Madras Tercentenary Celebration Committee. The Madras Tercentenary Commemoration Volume. Asian Educational Services. p. 155. ISBN 9788120605374.
8. Muthiah, p. 4
9. MacLeod, Norman (1871). Peeps at the Far East: A Familiar Account of a Visit to India. London: Strahan & Co. Retrieved 2 November 2015.
10. Muthiah, pp 331-332
11. Muthiah, p. 185
12. Muthiah, p. 143
13. Muthiah, p. 33
14. Muthiah, p 33
15. "Royapuram: Wheel of time takes the sea away". Chennai: The Hindu. 29 July 2014. Retrieved 21 November 2015.
16. S., Muthiah (1 March 2004). "Settlers in Peter's village". The Hindu. Retrieved 22 November 2015.
17. Thurston, Edgar. Castes and Tribes of Southern India, Volume VI of VII. Library of Alexandria. ISBN 9781465582416.
18. Wright, Arnold (1914). Southern India: Its History, People, Commerce, and Industrial Resources. Asian Educational Services. p. 124. ISBN 9788120613447.
19. Padmanabhan, Geeta (26 May 2015). "Where the past lives on". Chennai: The Hindu. Retrieved 22 November 2015.
20. C.S., Lakshmi (2004). The Unhurried City: Writings on Chennai. Penguin Books India. pp. 72–73. ISBN 9780143030263.
21. "Marking a milestone". Chennai: The Hindu. 29 October 2004. Retrieved 22 November 2015.

References

• Muthiah, S. (2004). Madras Rediscovered. East West Books (Madras) Pvt Ltd. ISBN 81-88661-24-4.