Chennai (erstwhileMadras) is the capital of theSouth Indian state ofTamil Nadu, located onCoramandel coast offBay of Bengal.Christianity arrived to Chennai with St. Thomas around 50CE.Portuguese arrived in 1522 and built a port called "San thome" (presentSanthome inChennai) and "Santhome Church" after the Christianapostle,St. Thomas, who is believed to have preached in the area between 52 and 70 CE.[1] TheEnglish East India Company under Francis Day bought lands in Chennai and made On 22 August 1639 asMadras Day. A year later, the English builtFort St. George, the first major English settlement in India,[2] Chennai has seen missionaries from Scotland, United Kingdom and France and Portugal and also missionaries of Franciscans, Jesuits and Dominicans.
Santhome Church is believed to be the oldest Church inChennai, while there were a lot of churches built during the colonial empire.In 72 AD a small structure of building(church) was built to mark the tomb ofThomas the Apostle in the coast ofMylapore(presently Santhome, Chennai), later on a big church was built in the same place on 1523 by Portuguese explorers. This church became cathedral on 1606 byPope Paul V with erecting theDiocese of Saint Thomas of Mylapore .Later this church was rebuilt with a status of cathedral in 1896 byBritish in late 19th century style asGothic Revival architecture.The exact place where St. Thomas was buried is marked by the second small tower in the center of the cathedral.Pope Pius XII honoured this cathedral church, elevating it to the dignity and rank of minor basilica in March 1956.Pope John Paul II the only pope visited Santhome Church in the year of 1986. This church was extended asNational Shrine in 2004 byCatholic Bishops' Conference of India. This church is called "National Shrine of Saint Thomas Cathedral Basilica", Shortly known as "Santhome Church".It is a very Important church for worldwideChristians as it is the tomb of St. Thomas the Apostle.
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| Name | Image | Year built | Location | Denomination/ Affiliation | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Thome Basilica |  | 1523 (present church in 1896) | Santhome 13°02′01″N80°16′40″E / 13.033611°N 80.2777°E /13.033611; 80.2777 (Santhome) | Roman Catholic | It was built in the 1523 byPortuguese explorers, over the tomb of St Thomas, anApostle of Jesus. In 1893, it was rebuilt as a church and elevated to the status of acathedral by theBritish. It was designed inNeo-Gothic style, favoured by Britisharchitects in the late 19th century.It is a very important church for Christian in the world. |
| Zion Church, Chintadripet | 1847 | Chintadripet 13°04′31″N80°16′19″E / 13.075194°N 80.271917°E /13.075194; 80.271917 | Church of South India | It is oldest churches in Chintadripet area ofChennai, the capital of theSouth Indian state ofTamil Nadu. The original structure was built inGothic architecture in 1847 by US missionaries. The church is the oldest church built by US missionaries in Chennai. The church also has the second oldest bell in the city and second oldest pipe instrument in the city.[3][4] | |
| Anderson Church, Chennai |  | 1845 | Parry's Corner 13°05′19″N80°17′18″E / 13.088611°N 80.288333°E /13.088611; 80.288333 (Parry's Corner) | Church of South India | The original structure was built in 1845 by Anderson as an educational institution, which later evolved asMadras Christian College in 1867. The church is named afterAnderson, a Scottish missionary who founded the mission of the Free Church of Scotland at Madras, India.[5][6][7] |
| Armenian Church |  | 1712(1772) | Armenian Street 13°05′21″N80°17′14″E / 13.0891°N 80.2873°E /13.0891; 80.2873 (Armenian Street) | Church of South India | The Church, also called Armenian Church of Virgin Mary, was built by Armenian community of Madras and is famous for itsbelfry of six.[8] |
| Luz Church |  | 1516 | Luz 13°02′00″N80°15′00″E / 13.033333°N 80.25°E /13.033333; 80.25 (Luz) | Roman Catholic | The Church, also called Church of Our Lady of Light, by the locals, which derives from thePortuguese name Nossa Senhora da Luz. Built in 1516 by thePortuguese, it is one of the oldest Churches in the city and its foundation stone marks as one of the oldestEuropean monuments in India.[9] |
| Descanco Church | 17th century | Luz 13°02′00″N80°15′00″E / 13.033333°N 80.25°E /13.033333; 80.25 (Luz) | Roman Catholic | It was built in the 17th century by thePortuguese nobleman, Cosmo Madera of the prominent Madera family who are believed to have given their name to the city of Madras.[10] Descanco Church is built in one of the two spots where theapostleSt. Thomas is believed to have preached. | |
| St Andrew's Church |  | 1821 | Nungambakkam 13°04′47″N80°15′49″E / 13.0798°N 80.2637°E /13.0798; 80.2637 (Nungambakkam) | Presbyterian | The church was built to serve the Scottish community in Chennai. Its design was modelled onSt. Martin-in-the-Fields. Building started 6 April 1818 and the church was consecrated in 1821.[11] |
| St. Anne's Church |  | 2000 | Nesapakkam 13°2′9.592″N80°11′25″E / 13.03599778°N 80.19028°E /13.03599778; 80.19028 (Nesapakkam) | Roman Catholic | The parish was established in 1999 and the church built the following year. |
| St. George's Cathedral |  | 1815 | Kamaraj Salai 13°03′06″N80°15′09″E / 13.0518°N 80.2525°E /13.0518; 80.2525 (Kamaraj Salai) | 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 theChurch of South India was inaugurated here on 27 September 1947. The Cathedral was packed and the bigpandal outside held over 2,000 people. It marked the breaking down ofecclesiastical barriers between Protestants of various traditions. |
| St. Mary's Church |  | 1680 | Kamaraj Salai 13°04′43″N80°17′12″E / 13.0787°N 80.2866°E /13.0787; 80.2866 (Kamaraj Salai) | Church of South India | It is the oldestAnglican church East ofSuez 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″N80°11′43″E / 13.008127°N 80.195403°E /13.008127; 80.195403 (St. Thomas Mount) | Roman Catholic | |
| St Mary's Co-Cathedral |  | 1658 | Armenian Street 13°05′24″N80°17′15″E / 13.089866°N 80.287438°E /13.089866; 80.287438 (Armenian Street) | Roman Catholic | the church was constructed by a French Capuchin FatherEphrem 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 thecathedral of the Ecclesiastical Province of Madras in 1886.[12] |
| St. Lazarus' Church | 1582 | Raja Annamalaipuram 13°01′35″N80°16′28″E / 13.026282°N 80.274551°E /13.026282; 80.274551 (Raja Annamalaipuram) | Roman Catholic | Lazarus Church was constructed by thePortuguese in the colony ofSao 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".[13] | |
| St. Mark's Church | 16th century | George Town 13°06′12″N80°17′10″E / 13.103200°N 80.286230°E /13.103200; 80.286230 (George Town) | Church of South India | It is in the neighbourhood of Georgetown inChennai,India. The construction of the church was commenced byJohn Goldingham in 1799[14] and completed in 1800.[15] | |
| St. Matthias' Church | 1823 | Vepery 13°05′14″N80°15′41″E / 13.087326°N 80.261490°E /13.087326; 80.261490 (Vepery) | Church of South India | It is aProtestantchurch situated in the neighbourhood ofVepery and was constructed and consecrated in 1823.[16] It was originally a privatechapel, 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 fromTranquebar for Rs. 50,000.[12] The SPCK renamed the chapel as St. Matthias' Church. The church was consecrated in 1823.[12] | |
| St. Peter's Church |  | 1829[17] | Royapuram 13°06′30″N80°17′44″E / 13.108333°N 80.295556°E /13.108333; 80.295556 (Royapuram) | Roman Catholic | The original structure was built inGothic architecture in 1829 by Gurukula Vamsha Varnakula Mudaliars, a gang of boatmen who were serving theEast 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.[18][19] |
| St. Thomas Garrison Church |  | 1830 | St. Thomas Mount 13°00′08″N80°11′48″E / 13.002222°N 80.196667°E /13.002222; 80.196667 (St. Thomas Mount) | 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 fromBritain. It is located in the foothills ofSt. Thomas Mount and named afterSt. Thomas, one of theTwelve apostles who resided at the place during his final years.[20][21] |
| Wesley Church |  | 1905 | Egmore 13°04′46″N80°15′24″E / 13.079444°N 80.256667°E /13.079444; 80.256667 (Egmore) | Church of South India | The original structure was built inGothic 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 afterJohn Wesley, the founder of Methodist Movement in 140 countries.[22][23] |
| St. Thomas Syrian Catholic Church |  | 2017 | St. Thomas Mount, Guindy | Syrian Catholic Church | The church is constructed in its original Oriental Architecture . The pilgrimage center houses a host of Glass paintings which upholds the legacy of the Syrian Christians . Constructed in the foot holds of St. Thomas Mount, The place of Martyrdom of St.Thomas, the apostle of Jesus Christ. |
| St.Jude's Pilgrimage Shrine |  | 1975 | Vanuvampet, Chennai - 91 12°58'53.6"N 80°11'44.9"E | Roman Catholic Church |
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