St. Joseph’s Church, Perumpannaiyur, Thiruvarur
St. Joseph’s Church is located at Perumpannaiyur Village
in Thiruvarur District of Tamilnadu. The Church in Perumpannaiyur is a
magnificent one. Perumpannaiyur is located on Thiruvarur to Kumbakonam Route.
History
The details about the early history of the family that
built the Church are sketchy. The story begins in the late 1500s in a village
in South Arcot district, where lived a rich Udayar family. The head of the
family was the friend of an influential Palayakaran (Poligar), who often came
to the Udayar household to play chess. Little did the Udayar know that he was
nurturing a snake in the grass. The Udayar had a little girl who would sit on
her father’s lap as he played chess with his friend. When the little girl
attained marriageable age, the Poligar asked for her hand in marriage and
threatened to carry her away, if the Udayar refused.
Unwilling to give his daughter in marriage to the old
Poligar, Udayar left the village one night. But the Poligar, hearing of this,
chased them, and was on the verge of catching up with them. The girl then told
her family that she would rather die than marry the old man and begged them to
kill her. Left with no choice, her father killed her. When the Poligar found
that the girl was dead, he no longer troubled the Udayars. But the family did
not want to go back to the village which held such bitter memories. So they
moved to Ayyampettai, and later to Kovilpattu. This was around 1601 A.D. At
that time, the village of Kovilpattu belonged to a Mudaliar, who mortgaged his
lands to the Udayar, who cultivated the lands.
The Mudaliar was unable to redeem his property, and thus
the entire village of Kovilpattu came into the possession of the Udayar family.
The head of the Udayar family later purchased land in Perumpannaiyur, near the
village of Semmangudi, and moved there. In course of time he became rich. Sometime
in the 18th century, one branch of the family converted to
Christianity. In 1867, Sinnu Udayar, a descendant of this Christian branch of
the family, came into possession of vast acres of land and two lakhs in cash,
upon the death of his father. With all the wealth at his disposal, his thoughts
turned towards building a church in Perumpannaiyur.
A Catholic priest from the Puducherry mission suggested
that the church should be so tall that it should be seen from a distance. And
indeed, the Saint Joseph’s Church at Perumpannaiyur stands tall, at a height of
about 110 ft. and Rev. Father Pecheur, from Puducherry, was present to give his
blessings when the foundation was laid. Reverend Father Aloysius of Puducherry
helped Sinnu draw the plan for the Church, and to gather materials for building
the church. In 1871, the foundation was laid. In 1873, Sinnu donated land for
the upkeep of the church and for a cemetery.
Later Sinnu’s nephew Periasami Udayar executed a
document endorsing his uncle’s gifts to the Church. In 1877, Sinnu purchased a
harmonium for the church for 500 rupees, and had it sent to Puducherry, from
where it was sent by boat to Karaikkal. In 1879, he bought a bell, weighing two
tonnes, made by Grouzel Hildebrand Foudeur in France. The bell cost Rs. 1,400.
It took four able-bodied men to pull the rope to ring the bell. The church took
14 years to build but Sinnu did not live to see its completion. Initially the
church was administered by the Puducherry diocese, later by the Kumbakonam
diocese and is now under the Thanjavur diocese.
The
Church
The Church is an architectural treasure hidden away in a
remote village. With its massive proportions, inverted wine glass dome, arched
colonnades, rich woodwork, intricate detailing and its frescos, it seems as if
some European church has been magically transported to this village in Southern
Tamilnadu. The imposing church has, however, developed cracks and one can see
the growth of vegetation on the walls and the roof. Near the church are the
houses of the Udayar family which built this church and endowed it with
property.
Contact
St. Joseph’s Church,
Perumpannaiyur,
Thiruvarur District
Mobile: +91 9443104370.
Connectivity
Perumpannaiyur is located about 15 Kms from Thiruvarur,
6 Kms from Manakkal Ayyampet, 3 Kms from Simizhi, 4 Kms from Engan, 13 Kms from
Koradacherry, 28 Kms from Kumbakonam and 110 Kms from Trichy. Perumpannaiyur is
located on Thiruvarur to Kumbakonam Route. Take a right between Manakkal Ayyampet
and Simizhi to reach this temple. Nearest Railway Station is located at
Thiruvarur and Koradacherry. Nearest Airport is located at Trichy.