Anderson Church, Parry's Corner, Chennai
Anderson Church is one of the oldest churches in
Parry's Corner area of Chennai, the capital of the South
Indian state of Tamil
Nadu. The original structure was built in 1845 by Anderson
as an educational institution. The church is named after Anderson, a Scottish missionary who founded the mission of the
Free Church of Scotland at Madras, India. Anderson Church is a working church
with hourly prayer and daily services and follows Protestant sect of Christianity.
The church also celebrates Harvest festival every year
during the month of November. In modern times, it is under the dominion
of Diocese of Madras of the
Church of South India. It is one of the most
prominent landmarks of Parry's Corner. This church is a fine example for the
heritage sites of Chennai city belonging to the British period.
History
The church was named after John Anderson (1805–1855), a Scottish missionary who founded the
mission of the Free Church of Scotland at Madras, India. He is believed to have
established an educational institution in the name of General Assembly School
in 1835 at Egmore. It was moved to George Town area in Chennai by 1838
and later went on to become the Free Church of Scotland's central shrine in
Chennai in 1845. The Madras Christian College was started at this campus in 1867, initially as a
school and later became a college in 1876.
The College was later moved to Tambaram in 1937 and only
the Church operates from the campus. The Chapel was originally called
College Chapel, but later came to be known as Anderson Church, after the death
of Anderson. Surprisingly, the name of Anderson, an educationist, is associated
more with the church than with the school he founded.
Architecture
The church has an exterior with brick walls, stained
glass windows and Chisholm styled dome. The altar houses conventional Methodist
images and a prayer hall for the devotees. The plaques of Anderson and Jesus
Christ are housed in glass chambers in standing posture on the walls facing the
devotees. The college hall, which would go on to become the assembly hall of
the church, is plastered with shingles. The church is declared a landmark
heritage building by the Tamil Nadu Chapter of Indian National Trust for Art
and Cultural Heritage (INTACH).
It was also on the Phase I list of Heritage buildings in
Chennai under the Chennai Metropolitan
Development Authority (CMDA). The church,
along with its towering steeple, remained a landmark of the Madras Christian College for
many decades. Even today, the towering steeple is a landmark of George
Town area/Parrys corner. The church is very small and hardly crowded. The
interior of the church is very beautiful and it is one of the very few well
maintained churches of Chennai city.
Worship Practices
The priests in the church were originally only English,
but during modern times, Tamil people were also allowed. In modern times, the
Church is administered by the Diocese of Madras of the
Church of South India. Mass is performed in the
church from Monday to Friday on 8 a.m., 8:30 a.m. and 5 p.m. on Saturdays
and 8:30 a.m. and 6 p.m. on Sundays. The festival of the church is
celebrated during the Christmas times for eight days, starting with flag
hoisting on 24 December and ending with a feast and religious lectures on 2
January. The 150th anniversary of the church was celebrated on 3
March 2009 when special prayers and lectures were delivered.
Connectivity
The Church is located at about 200
meters from Parrys Corner Bus Stop, 800 meters from Chennai Beach Railway
Station, 600 meters from Mannady Metro Station, 2 Kms from Chennai Central
Railway Station, 5 Kms from Egmore Railway Station, 12 Kms from Koyambedu
Chennai Mofussil Bus Terminus and 20 Kms from Chennai Airport. The Church is
located very close to the Chennai Central Railway Station. You can proceed on foot
to the church from the station. From other parts of the city, you can take a
Cabs, Auto Rickshaw, Bus, Local Trains and Metro Trains to reach the Church.