Armenian Church, Chennai

Coordinates: 13°05′21″N 80°17′14″E / 13.0891°N 80.2873°E / 13.0891; 80.2873

The Armenian Church, (Tamil: ஆர்மேனியன் தேவாலயம்) Chennai, constructed in 1712 ^[1] and reconstructed in 1772, is one of the oldest churches of the Indian subcontinent. 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, Chennai, South India.

Altar Armenian Church Madras

Michael Stephen was the caretaker of the Church until 2004;^[2] as of 2010 the caretaker of the Church was Trevor Alexander.^[3]

The Church

Armenian Church Madras

• Functioning only as a heritage site, the Church is opened for visitors from 9 am till 2:30 pm.
• It is funded by the Armenian Apostolic Church^[4] and maintained by The Armenian Church Committee in Calcutta.
• The graves of about 350 Armenians have been laid out throughout the Church.
• The founder, publisher and editor of the world's first Armenian periodical "Azdarar", Reverend Haroutiun Shmavonian, is buried here.
• 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 Armenians were a select group of merchants in Madras Presidency. They walked all the way from Armenia, through the Hindukush mountains and came down to Madras. When the British were trading cotton cloth, Armenians dealt with fine silk, expensive spices and gems.

Madras must have housed a small but a thriving Armenian population. Sadly, today there are none of them left.

Bells

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:

• One bell, with Armenian inscription dates to 1754. This was recast in 1808 and also bears Tamil inscription.
• One bell’s inscription indicates that it dates to 1778.
• 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.
• 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".

Gallery

• 

  Bells of the Armenian Church in Madras

• 

  Belfry of the Armenian Church in Madras

• 

  The Armenian Church of St. Mary, c. 1905

See also

• Armenians in India

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Armenian Church, Chennai.

• The bells of St. Mary’s
• Website of the Armenian Holy Church of Nazareth, Kolkata Armenian Churches in India website

Contemporary Armenian churches and seminaries
Armenia	Gevorkian Theological Seminary Vaskenian Theological Academy Yerevan Holy Trinity Saint Gregory the Illuminator Cathedral Saint John the Baptist Saint Sarkis (Kentron) Saint Sarkis (Nor Nork) Saint Anna Church Gyumri Holy Mother of God Church of the Holy Saviour Vagharshapat Church of the Holy Archangels Oshakan Saint Mesrop Mashtots Cathedral Abovyan Saint John the Baptist Church
Nagorno Karabakh	Ghazanchetsots Cathedral Kanach Zham
Georgia	Tbilisi Church of the Holy Seal Church of the Red Gospel Ejmiatsin Holy Mother of God (Bethlehem) Saint George Saint Gevorg of Mughni Saint Karapet Saint Stephanos Chugureti St. Astvatsatsin
Lebanon	Armenian Catholicosate of Cilicia Armenian Catholic Patriarchate
Syria	Church of the Holy Mother of God Cathedral of the Forty Martyrs of Sebastia St. Hagop Church St. Gregory the Illuminator Church Holy Trinity Church Holy Cross Church Armenian Genocide Memorial Church (Der Zor)
Azerbaijan	Saint Gregory of Baku
Iran	Saint Sargis
United States	Church of Our Savior, Worcester Holy Trinity Church, Fresno St. Stephen's Armenian Apostolic Church St. Vartan Cathedral Saint Sarkis of Dearborn
Turkey	Armenian Patriarchate of Constantinople St. Giragos Armenian Church Kartal Surp Nişan Armenian Orthodox Church Taksim Surp Harutyun Church
Other countries	Austria Mekhitarist Monastery of Vienna India Armenian Church, Chennai Armenian Church of the Holy Nazareth Italy Mekhitarist Monastery of Venice (San Lazzaro) Santa Croce degli Armeni Ukraine Cathedral of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Singapore Saint Gregory
Armenia Portal

Places of worship in Chennai
Temples	Anantha Padmanabhaswami Temple Royapuram Angala Parameswari Temple Alamelumangapuram Anjaneya Temple Nanganallur Anjaneya Temple Bhaktavatsala Perumal Temple Luz Anjaneya Temple Apparswami Temple Ashtalakshmi Kovil Choolaimedu Angalamman Temple Anna Nagar Ayyappan Koil Muthialpet Bairagimadam Temple Chennakesava Perumal Temple Chennai Om Sri Skandhashramam Chintadri Pillaiyar Kovil Ekambareswarar Temple Ettampadai Temple ISKCON Temple Puri Jagannath Temple Kachchaleswarar Temple Kalikambal Temple Saidapet Kamakshi Amman Temple Kamaleswarar Temple Kandaswami Temple Kapaleeshwarar Temple Mylapore Karaneeswarar Temple Saidapet Karaneeswarar Temple Ayanavaram Kasi Viswanatha Temple Mambalam Kasi Viswanatha Temple Mambalam Kothandaramar Temple Nandambakkam Kothandaramaswami Temple Muthialpet Krishnaswami Temple Kumaran Kundram Kurungaleeswarar Temple Madhya Kailash Madras Kali Bari Mallikesvarar Temple Marundeeswarar Temple Melatirupati Mylapore Mundaka Kanni Amman Temple Nandeeswarar Temple Neelagandeeswarar Temple Parasuramalingeswarar Temple Thiruvallikeni Parthasarathy Temple Prasanna Venkatesa Perumal Temple R.A. Puram Ayyappan Koil Ravishwarar Temple Sethu Kshetram Mylapore Shirdi Sai Baba Temple T. Nagar Sri Balaji Temple Thiruneermalai Kaalabairavar Temple Thiruvalluvar Temple Thyagaraja Temple Tiruvalithayam Vadapalani Andavar Temple Varasiddhi Vinayaka Temple Velleeswarar Temple Velveeswarar Temple Vengeeswarar Temple
Churches	Santhome Basilica Armenian Church Church of Our Lady of Light Descanco Church Queenship of Mary Church St Andrew's Church St. George's Cathedral St. Mary's Church Saint Patrick's Cathedral Saint Theresa Church St. Lazarus' Church St. Mark's Church St. Matthias' Church St.Mary's Co-Cathedral Wesley Church
Mosques	Thousand Lights Mosque Bahram Jung Mosque Casa Verona's Mosque Dharma Kidangu Mosque Hafiz Ahmad Khan Mosque Makkah Masjid Masjid Mamoor Masjid-o-Anwari Periamet Mosque Triplicane Labbai Jamaath Masjid
Buddhist temples	Sri Lanka Mahabodhi Centre
Gurudwaras	Sri Guru Nanak Sat Sangh Sabha Gurudwara
Parsi temples	Royapuram Fire Temple