The valediction of C.S.I. Christ Church Fort’s 250th anniversary year was celebrated this past week with a host of commemorative programmes highlighting its contribution to the religious fabric of the city.
Besides the rendition of sacred music by nadaswaram exponent Paul Sheik Chinna Kasim, and a concert by the former and present choristers of the church, the milestone year was marked with the release of a special postal cover with cancellation stamp by J. Charukesi, Post Master General, Southern Region, Madurai, on Tuesday, May 17.
This historic house of worship, situated on Nandi Koil Street, Teppakulam, was dedicated on May 18, 1766. It was built on a site gifted by Mohamed Ali Khan, Nawab of Arcot, near the Rock Fort, under the supervision of the well-regarded German Lutheran missionary and educationist Reverend Christian Frederich Schwartz (1726-98), who served as the first military chaplain here.
From 1750, Rev. Schwarz spent 48 years in Tranquebar, Thanjavur, and Tiruchi, becoming fluent in Tamil, Telugu, Sanskrit, Persian, Hindustani, Marathi, and Portuguese in the course of his missionary work.
An influential figure in the court of King Serfoji, Rev. Schwarz spent his last years in Thanjavur. After his death at the age of 72 in 1798, his mortal remains were interred in Christ Church, Thanjavur.
Falling under the purview of the Tiruchi-Thanjavur diocese, Christ Church Fort today has over 600 families in its congregation. Like most old churches, this house of worship has quite a few architectural features that have survived the passage of time. Behind the altar, is a curved wall of gilded inscriptions of sacred texts in English, Tamil, Portuguese, and Aramaic. In the early years, prayer services at the church used to be conducted in English, Tamil, and Portuguese.
A flight of steep wooden staircases leads to the belfry, where a bell imported from England at the time of the church’s construction, is still in use.
Outside the church is the Mission House, which was built as a shelter for overnight travellers in the region. The house’s Tamil name “Chathiram” is thought to have inspired the naming of the entire area around it.
Bishop Reginald Heber gave his last sermon on the steps of the Mission House, before his accidental death the same day on April 3, 1826.
Twelve graves dating from 1766 to 1797 are present inside the church building.
Built at a cost of 2,000 pagodas raised by British military officers, the church received bricks, lime, and the wood for its doors and windows from Fort St. George in Madras. Most stained glass windows have survived intact, such as the one dedicated to the former priest of Irungalur, Christian Samuel Kohlhoff, who served the diocese for 42 years.
The original structure included a bomb-proof dome that was later replaced with a concrete ceiling in 1978-79.
Christ Church was re-dedicated after a structural overhaul by Rev. Solomon Duraisamy on November 11, 1980. Electrical lights have replaced the oil lamps that used to illuminate the interiors.
“We are thankful to the people who have made this church a fine example of communal harmony and a place of worship that has comforted and guided many people down the years,” Rev. Dr. John Durai, present pastor of Christ Church, told The Hindu .
