St. George's Cathedral is a Church of South India (previously Church of England and Anglican) cathedral in

Chennai Chennai (, ), formerly known as Madras ( the official name until 1996), is the capital city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost Indian state. The largest city of the state in area and population, Chennai is located on the Coromandel Coast of th ...

, India. The cathedral was built in 1815. St. George's occupies an important place in the history of Christianity in India, as the Church of South India was inaugurated here on 27 September 1947. It marked the breaking down of ecclesiastical barriers between Protestants of various traditions. The architecture of St. George's Cathedral is remarkable for its tall

spire A spire is a tall, slender, pointed structure on top of a roof of a building or tower, especially at the summit of church steeples. A spire may have a square, circular, or polygonal plan, with a roughly conical or pyramidal shape. Spires a ...

, pillars, marble statues, mural tablets and memorials inside. The cathedral is a piece of architectural grandeur resting on a tier of steps. The governors of Fort St. George and their families worshipped here as also the viceroys when they visited Madras. George's cathedral inside

History

The church was opened in 1815. It is stated that the church was completed by the people themselves with the aid of a lottery fund. It cost 41,709

pagoda A pagoda is an Asian tiered tower with multiple eaves common to Nepal, India, China, Japan, Korea, Myanmar, Vietnam, and other parts of Asia. Most pagodas were built to have a religious function, most often Buddhist but sometimes Taoist, ...

s and with the furniture, the organ and the architect's commission increasing the cost to 57,225 pagodas. 1 Pagoda was equivalent to 3.50

Indian rupee The Indian rupee ( symbol: ₹; code: INR) is the official currency in the republic of India. The rupee is subdivided into 100 ''paise'' (singular: ''paisa''), though as of 2022, coins of denomination of 1 rupee are the lowest value in use w ...

s. The

British East India Company The East India Company (EIC) was an English, and later British, joint-stock company founded in 1600 and dissolved in 1874. It was formed to trade in the Indian Ocean region, initially with the East Indies (the Indian subcontinent and South ...

's Senior Engineer Col. J. L. Caldwell designed the church, and his assistant Captain De Havilland finished the construction. The site with an advantageous location was called the Choultry Plain. Though the Presidency Chaplain conducted the services from 1815, it was on 6 January 1816, that the first

Anglican Bishop of Calcutta The Diocese of Calcutta, Church of North India was established in 1813 as part of the Church of England. It is led by the Bishop of Calcutta and the first bishop was Thomas Middleton (1814–1822) and the second Reginald Heber (1823–1826). U ...

, Thomas Fanshaw Middleton consecrated the church to ''"the service of God according to the use of the

Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the established Christian church in England and the mother church of the international Anglican Communion. It traces its history to the Christian church recorded as existing in the Roman province of Britai ...

"''.

Congregation

Since 1815, the church has grown significantly in various ways. The south–eastern corner was set aside for the

cemetery A cemetery, burial ground, gravesite or graveyard is a place where the remains of dead people are buried or otherwise interred. The word ''cemetery'' (from Greek , "sleeping place") implies that the land is specifically designated as a buri ...

. De Havilland's wife's funeral was the first to be held here. The guard rail of the graveyard was made up war insignia and the Rev. Thomas Foulkes respectively. The brass altar cross was donated by Surgeon-General Cornish. The

lectern A lectern is a reading desk with a slanted top, on which documents or books are placed as support for reading aloud, as in a scripture reading, lecture, or sermon. A lectern is usually attached to a stand or affixed to some other form of support. ...

was a memorial tribute by his friends to Archdeacon Warlow. The Episcopal chair was a gift from F. E. Kneale. The Litany stool and the clergy seats were carved by W. S. Whiteside of the Madras Civil Service. The gold

chalice A chalice (from Latin 'mug', borrowed from Ancient Greek () 'cup') or goblet is a footed cup intended to hold a drink. In religious practice, a chalice is often used for drinking during a ceremony or may carry a certain symbolic meaning. R ...

and

paten A paten or diskos is a small plate, used during the Mass. It is generally used during the liturgy itself, while the reserved sacrament are stored in the tabernacle in a ciborium. Western usage In many Western liturgical denominations, the p ...

for Holy Communion were donated by Lt. Col. Herbert St. Clare Carruthers in 1908. They weigh 3 lb 7 ounces (1.6 kg) in 18 carat (75%) gold. The chalice is set with diamonds in the form of a cross. The altar rail was erected by P. Orr and Sons to the memory of Edward William Orr, a member of the

choir A choir ( ; also known as a chorale or chorus) is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform. Choirs may perform music from the classical music repertoire, which sp ...

, who died in 1913. The marble baptismal font was gifted by the

congregation A congregation is a large gathering of people, often for the purpose of worship. Congregation may also refer to: * Church (congregation), a Christian organization meeting in a particular place for worship *Congregation (Roman Curia), an administr ...

Cathedral

St. George's Church became prominent as the cathedral of Madras in 1835.

Stained glass windows

The stained glass windows of St. George's Cathedral are a marvel by itself. On either side of the altar in vibrant colours are two panels describing two important events in the life of Jesus. The left panel is a vivid depiction of the

Baptism of Jesus The baptism of Jesus by John the Baptist is a major event in the life of Jesus which is described in the three synoptic Gospels of the New Testament (Matthew, Mark and Luke). It is considered to have taken place at Al-Maghtas (also called Bet ...

John the Baptist John the Baptist or , , or , ;Wetterau, Bruce. ''World history''. New York: Henry Holt and Company. 1994. syc, ܝܘܿܚܲܢܵܢ ܡܲܥܡܕ݂ܵܢܵܐ, Yoḥanān Maʿmḏānā; he, יוחנן המטביל, Yohanān HaMatbil; la, Ioannes Bapti ...

in the

River Jordan The Jordan River or River Jordan ( ar, نَهْر الْأُرْدُنّ, ''Nahr al-ʾUrdunn'', he, נְהַר הַיַּרְדֵּן, ''Nəhar hayYardēn''; syc, ܢܗܪܐ ܕܝܘܪܕܢܢ ''Nahrāʾ Yurdnan''), also known as ''Nahr Al-Shariea ...

. One can see the Holy Spirit descending in the form of a dove. The right panel depicts the resurrected Lord with Mary Magdalene. There are stained glass panels on top of all the doors of the cathedral. Sunlight filters through these shining examples of medieval art, leaving the entire Cathedral bathed in rich, warm hues.

Memorials, tablets and statues

At the left entrance to the cathedral is the statue of

Daniel Corrie Daniel Corrie (10 April 1777 – 5 February 1837) was an English Anglican priest and bishop, the inaugural Bishop of Madras. Corrie was born at Ardchattan, Argyll, Great Britain, the second son of John Corrie, a vicar in Lincolnshire. He was e ...

, the first Bishop of Madras (1835–1837). Associated with many schools, he is shown with an open Bible blessing an Indian boy in loin cloth, a sacred thread and a tuft. At the main entrance is Thomas Dealtry, Bishop of Madras (1849–1861) in

bas-relief Relief is a sculptural method in which the sculpted pieces are bonded to a solid background of the same material. The term '' relief'' is from the Latin verb ''relevo'', to raise. To create a sculpture in relief is to give the impression that th ...

. One who ordained 151 clergymen is seen blessing two young priests attended by his son Archdeacon Dealtry, Lugard and Murphy. At the entrance of the Lady chapel is the bust of Frederick Gell, Bishop of Madras (1861–1899). Nearby is the '' alto-relieve'' statue of Reginald Heber by

Francis Chantrey Sir Francis Leggatt Chantrey (7 April 1781 – 25 November 1841) was an English sculptor. He became the leading portrait sculptor in Regency era Britain, producing busts and statues of many notable figures of the time. Chantrey's most notable w ...

. There is a memorial tablet for the first Indian Bishop of Madras, David Chellappa (1955–1964) erected by the congregation of St. George's Cathedral. The consecration and installation of Bishop David Chellappa as the first Indian Bishop in Madras in 1955 was an important occasion in the cathedral. Two other memorials for Indians are that of Dewan Bahadur N. Subrahmanyam (1841–1911)—Administrator General of Madras who founded and endowed the Kalyani Hospital and Dr. R. D. Paul who died in 1975 "after a long and devoted service to the Church, the State and the Community". Many memorials were erected to the memory of British soldiers, religious leaders, educationists, police officers, engineers, businessmen, judges, medical officers and their families. There is a tablet for

Robert Caldwell Robert Caldwell (7 May 1814 – 28 August 1891) was a missionary for London Missionary Society. He arrived in India at age 24, studied the local language to spread the word of Bible in a vernacular language, studies that led him to author a tex ...

, who for 53 years devoted himself to the furtherance of the Gospel among the Tamil people of Tirunelveli. Well known as a scholar and philologist, he served also as assistant to the Bishop of Madras and died at

Kodaikanal Kodaikanal () is a hill station which is located in Dindigul district in the state of Tamil Nadu, India. Its name in the Tamil language means "The Gift of the Forest". Kodaikanal is referred to as the "Princess of Hill stations" and has a long ...

in 1891. From another tablet, we see that Frederick Rowlandson was Registrar of the Diocese of Madras for 53 years and died in 1929. Similarly we see from a plaque that Edward Sell, Canon of St. George's Cathedral had worked for 67 years in Madras and died in 1932 at the age of 93. John Mousley, the first Archdeacon in Madras (1815–1819) has a commemoration tablet by Flaxman. File:George'sCathedral1.jpg, Rt. Rev. Frederick Gell File:George'sCathedral19.jpg, Jacobus Anderson File:George'sCathedral10.jpg, Rt. Rev. Thomas Dealtry File:George'sCathedral11.jpg, Rt. Rev. Daniel Corrie File:Thomas Moore-Lane Memorial at the St. George's Cathedral, Madras.jpg, Thomas Moore-Lane Memorial File:George'sCathedral22.jpg, Sir John David Norton File:Henry Valentine Conolly Memorial at the St. George's Cathedral, Madras.jpg, Henry Valentine Conolly Memorial File:George'sCathedral21.jpg, Sir Joseph Henry Stone File:George'sCathedral23.jpg, Rt. Rev. D. Chellappa File:George's cathedral board.jpg, Name board of St.George's cathedral,

File:George's cathedral seating arrangement.jpg, seating arrangement

Notable members

Notable people have worshipped in the cathedral as is revealed by the memorial tablets. There is a statue in memory of James Stephen Lushington, Bengal Civil Service, and son of S. R. Lushington –

Governor of Madras This is a list of the governors, agents, and presidents of colonial Madras, initially of the English East India Company, up to the end of British colonial rule in 1947. English Agents In 1639, the grant of Madras to the English was finalized b ...

, who died young in 1832. In the Lady chapel there is a plaque in memory of Amelia, 21, who died in 1833, the only child of Sir

Frederick Adam General Sir Frederick Adam (17 June 178117 August 1853) was a Scottish major-general at the Battle of Waterloo, in command of the 3rd (Light) Brigade. He was the fourth son of William Adam of Blair Adam and his wife Eleanora, the daughter of ...

. Other memorials exist for William Montague Douglas Home, second son of the

Earl of Home Earl of Home ( ) is a title in the Peerage of Scotland. It was created in 1605 for Alexander Home of that Ilk, 6th Lord Home. The Earl of Home holds, among others, the subsidiary titles of Lord Home (created 1473), and Lord Dunglass (1605), i ...

, who died in 1822, Sir Joseph Henry Stone (1858–1941) Director of Public Instruction,

Hitchcock Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock (13 August 1899 – 29 April 1980) was an English filmmaker. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential figures in the history of cinema. In a career spanning six decades, he directed over 50 featur ...

of the Indian Police (1884–1926), Sir John Norton –

Puisne Justice A puisne judge or puisne justice (; from french: puisné or ; , 'since, later' + , 'born', i.e. 'junior') is a dated term for an ordinary judge or a judge of lesser rank of a particular court. Use The term is used almost exclusively in common law ...

who was buried at sea on 20 September 1843, Thomas Moore Lane – Physician to the Nawab and Private Secretary to the Governor who died in 1844 and Thomas Parry who died at Porto Novo in 1824 after "a residence of 37 years at Madras with unblemished reputation". There is an interesting memorial of a woman feeding a snake in tribute to Dr. John Mack, Surgeon to the Governor's Bodyguard and Physician to the

Nawab of Carnatic The Carnatic Sultanate was a kingdom in South India between about 1690 and 1855, and was under the legal purview of the Nizam of Hyderabad, until their demise. They initially had their capital at Arcot in the present-day Indian state of Tamil N ...

who died in 1852.

Military personnel

Many military personnel were prominent in their affiliation to St. George's Cathedral. Tablets have been raised in memory of Major George Broadfoot of the 34th Madras Infantry who fought in the

First Anglo-Afghan War The First Anglo-Afghan War ( fa, جنگ اول افغان و انگلیس) was fought between the British Empire and the Emirate of Kabul from 1838 to 1842. The British initially successfully invaded the country taking sides in a succession d ...

and fell at the

Battle of Ferozeshah The Battle of Ferozeshah was fought on 21 December and 22 December 1845 between the British East India Company and the Sikh Empire, at the village of Ferozeshah in Punjab. The British were led by Sir Hugh Gough and Governor-General Sir Henry Har ...

in 1845, Major General Sir Robert Henry Dick – a hero of the

Peninsular War The Peninsular War (1807–1814) was the military conflict fought in the Iberian Peninsula by Spain, Portugal, and the United Kingdom against the invading and occupying forces of the First French Empire during the Napoleonic Wars. In Spain ...

who died at the

Battle of Sobraon The Battle of Sobraon was fought on 10 February 1846, between the forces of the East India Company and the Sikh Khalsa Army, the army of the Sikh Empire of the Punjab. The Sikhs were completely defeated, making this the decisive battle of th ...

, Major John Frederick Graham who fell at the Battle of the Somme in 1916, Col. John Impett who served at Waterloo at the age of 15 and died as Sheriff of Madras in 1866, Lt. Col. James Drever who died "from the effects of a coup de soleil in China" in 1842 and Lt. James Forsyth who died of cholera while on expedition to China in the same year. The memorial to Sir Robert Henry Dick at the cathedral depicts a 42nd Highlander in full uniform resting against a pedestal, on which is inscribed the battle roll of the regiment

Cathedral bells

The cathedral has eight bells that were manufactured by Messrs Mears & Steinbank, Founders, London in 1871. They were presented to St. George's Cathedral by G. Banbury during Christmas 1873. The chiming device was donated by Thomas Foulkes. All eight bells vary in size. The height of the largest bell is 42", its diameter is 48" and its circumference 150" approximately. The smallest bell is 24" in height, 30" in diameter and approximately 94" in circumference. These bells were installed inside the central portion of the pinnacle below the clock and about 50’ above the ground level. They are fixed on wooden beams about one foot in thickness on all sides – four bells at the bottom and four on the top.

Cathedral organisation

St. George's Cathedral has a well-knit structural organisation for management. The trustees include senior members of the cathedral appointed by the Bishop of Madras. The trustees look after the assets of the cathedral. The Pastorate Committee consists of 10 elected members including the secretary, treasurer and assistant secretary. Women and youth are represented. Other important church members are the lay leaders, choir with leader and organist, music director of the men's chorus, superintendent of Sunday school, superintendent of the Home for Senior Citizens, the cathedral manager and sexton. The cathedral management works under the leadership of the presbyter and associate presbyter. It is an elective, democratic system and everyone has her part to play.

Progress since 1947

Since 1947, the cathedral has acquired a new setting and atmosphere. The trustees and the congregation have demonstrated their loyalty in various ways. Several building projects, including a new parsonage, the vergers quarters and the parish hall, have been achieved. Today St. George's Cathedral, with a church membership of over 1200 families, continues its role as the mother church and as the church of the city. The Community Welfare Centre, Leprosy Project, Sunday School, Youth, Women's, Men's and Teen Fellowships, Green Pastures, Prayer Groups, Gospel Teams, Quiz Programs, Bible Study Groups and the Home for the Aged have progressed well. The Community Welfare Centre has a Sewing School, a Typewriting Institute, a Day Care Centre, a Medical Clinic, and other extension projects. The pipe organ has been repaired and the cemetery cleaned up.

Cathedral layout

Bishops of the Diocese of Madras

1835–1837 * George John Trevor Spencer 1837–1849 * Thomas Dealtry 1849–1861 * Frederick Gell 1861–1899 * Henry Whitehead 1899–1922 * Edward Harry Mansfield Waller 1923–1941 * Arthur Michael Hollis 1942–1954 *David Chellappa 1955–1964 *

Lesslie Newbigin James Edward Lesslie Newbigin (8 December 1909 – 30 January 1998) was a British theologian, missiologist, missionary and author. Though originally ordained within the Church of Scotland, Newbigin spent much of his career serving as a mis ...

1965–1974 *Sundar Clarke 1974–1989 * Masillamani Azariah 1990–1999 *V. Devasahayam 1999–2015 *J. George Stephen. 2016 – present

Presbyters of St. George's Cathedral

* Clarence Edwin Brett 1947 * John Murdoch Wallace 1947–1948 * Robert Leslie Watson 1948–1958 * E.J.M. Wyld & R.L. Manson 1957–1958 * Ian Matheson Calvert 1959–1962 * David Max Samuel 1962–1964 * Sundar Clarke 1964–1969 * Eugene Paul Heideman 1969–1970 * Ebenezer Immanuel 1970–1975 * Swamiappan David 1975–1980 * Christopher Solomon 1980–1984 * R. Trinity Baskeran 1984–1985 * D. Amos Manoharan 1985–1990 * David Devairakkam 1990–1995 * Oliver T. Arockiam 1995–1999 * N.G. Mathew 1999–2003 * Noel Jason 2003–2006 * D.C. Premraj 2006–2011 * Immanuel Devakadatcham 2011–2018 * YL Babu Rao 2018–2019 * Lawrence Jebadoss 2019– *

Images

File:George'sCathedral9.jpg, Resurrected Lord File:George'sCathedral3.jpg, Lectern File:George'sCathedral4.jpg, Episcopal and bishop's chair File:George'sCathedral7.jpg, Lady chapel File:George'sCathedral5.jpg, Chalice File:George'sCathedral12.jpg, Main altar cross File:George'sCathedral13.jpg, Processional cross File:George'sCathedral15.jpg, Seats of choristers File:George'sCathedral20.jpg, St. George's Cathedral - side view File:George'sCathedral2.jpg, Cathedral - front entrance File:The Cathedral Church of St. George.jpeg, St. George's Cathedral, c. 1905

Notes

References

*''St. George's Cathedral'' is a historical work written by Dr.

H. S. S. Lawrence Harris Sam Sahayam Lawrence ( ta, ஹாரிஸ் சாம் சஹாயம் லவ்றேன்சே; 28 July 1923 – 21 April 2009) was an Indian educationalist born in Nagercoil, Tamil Nadu. As Special Officer for restructuring E ...

published in September 2007. The book traces the history of the cathedral from its early beginnings in 1815 to the present date.

External links

Official St. George's Cathedral, Chennai website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Saint Georges Cathedral, Chennai Churches in Chennai Church of South India cathedrals History of Chennai Churches completed in 1815 19th-century Anglican church buildings 1816 establishments in British India 1947 establishments in India Christian organizations established in 1947 British colonial architecture in India Cathedrals in Tamil Nadu Neoclassical church buildings in India