St Mary's Co-Cathedral, George Town, Chennai
St Mary's Co-Cathedral is one of the oldest churches in George
Town area of Chennai, the capital of the South
Indian state of Tamil
Nadu. This Catholic church is situated in Armenian Street, George Town, Chennai. This Church was Constructed by Capuchins in 1658. It received the title of co-cathedral when the seat of the Roman
Catholic Archdiocese of Madras and Mylapore was
transferred to San Thome Basilica. St. Mary’s Co-Cathedral is a historic landmark in the
city of Chennai. It is a popular pilgrim centre in the heart of the city that
attracts tens of thousands of pilgrims of all faiths-Christians, Hindus,
Muslims and others-to pray and pay homage to Mother Mary and their favourite
saint, St. Antony.
History
For brief details, please refer below link;
The
Church
The Church is popularly known as St. Antony’s Church,
because of the miraculous statue of St. Antony. This famous Catholic church of
Chennai has a lot of attractive paintings and statues of Jesus Christ, Mother
Mary, and apostles of Jesus Christ. Devotion to St. Anthony is very popular in
this church. The main prayer hall of the church has decorative pillars and
attractive ceiling with the idol of Mother Mary in the corner.
People of different religions flock together from
morning (5.a.m) till evening (11.30 p.m.). Even on weekdays, one could see a
sizable number of devotees praying silently and fervently. This is almost like
Ecumenical Church, bringing people of different faiths from all directions. The
church is surrounded by commercial centers and hence the residential catholic
people are dwindling down. It has only floating population. A big crowd of 5000
to 10000 devotees of St. Antony visit here very Tuesday.
Connectivity
The Church is located at about 300 meters from High
Court Bus Stop, 400 meters from Parrys Corner Bus Stop, 1 Km 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.
Location
