Armenian Church, George Town, Chennai
Armenian Church is one of the oldest churches in George
Town area of Chennai, the capital of the South
Indian state of Tamil
Nadu. The Church was constructed in 1712 and
reconstructed in 1772. It is famous for its belfry of six. The Church, also called the Armenian
Church of Virgin Mary, is located on the Armenian Street, Parrys, George Town.
History
For brief details, please refer below link;
The
Church
Armenian church is well maintained even though it has
hardly any visitor nowadays. It has a huge complex with a small chapel and a
tower. The Church is functioning only as a heritage site. It is funded by
the Armenian Apostolic Church and maintained by The Armenian Church Committee in
Calcutta. The altar inside the church is also special for having a portrait of
Virgin Mary taking Jesus to heaven. You don’t find this anywhere else in the
country.
This Church was also called as “The Chapel of Our Lady
of Miracles”. The atmosphere within and around the Church is silent and serene.
There is a good amount of greenery here and the place is open to tourists/visitors from 9:00 AM to
2:30 PM, daily. It’s an excellent place to sit down and relax, in peace.
The Armenian Church at Madras was once well known for possessing a large number
of rare and valuable manuscripts and books.
The graves of about 350 Armenians have been laid out
throughout the Church. The churchyard houses the remains of Rev. Father
Harutyun Shmavonian the ‘Father of Armenian Journalism’ who published
“Azdarar”, the first Armenian journal in the world. He passed away on February
9, 1824. The last burial here was in 1850, after which our burial ground was
moved to a spot close to the Chennai Central Railway Station.
The Belfry adjacent to the main Church structure houses
six large bells which are rung every Sunday at 9:30 am by the caretaker. The
six bells are all of different sizes, varying from 21 to 26 inches, and
weigh around 150 kg each, they are believed to be the largest and heaviest
bells of Chennai. The bells were cast at different times as noted below:
1. One bell, with Armenian inscription dates to 1754.
This was recast in 1808 and also bears Tamil inscription.
2. One bell’s inscription indicates that it dates to
1778.
3. Inscriptions on two bells indicate that they were
given to the Church in memory of 19-year Eliazar Shawmier, buried in the
Church’s garden. Shawmier was the youngest son of a leading Armenian merchant
of the city of Madras (now Chennai) on whose private chapel ground the
present Church stands.
4. The remaining two bells date to 1837 and were cast by
the Whitechapel Bell Foundry, then known as Mears & Stainbank, with
inscriptions reading "Thomas Mears, Founder, London".
At 9:30 am every Sunday, all six bells are rung together
by the caretaker.
Connectivity
The Church is located at about 200
meters from Parrys Corner Bus Stop, 800 meters from Chennai Beach Railway
Station, 1 Km 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.