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Archiver > INDIA > 2000-12 > 0977057627


From: "Mike Lavocah" <>
Subject: [India-L] Armenian churches in Madras
Date: Sun, 17 Dec 2000 12:53:47 -0000


I'm getting a bit confused about this...

Cathy Day has found an article:
http://www.chennaichips.com/artsandculture/culture/madras.asp
which says that the Armenian Church on Armenian Street is St Mary's Catholic
Cathedral. However, I don't think this is true.

Go to the Indian RC site with the list of all the churches at:
http://www.emmanuel2000.org/diocese/mylapore.html
and it says the church was built in 1642 and is on 64 Armenia Street.

However, the Armenian church was built only in 1772. I have an extract from
their records made in 1950. The address is given as 2/A Armenian Street.
Either the streets have been renumbered since then, or there is a typo on
the Catholic Church's website, or there are two St Mary's Churches on
Armenian Street.

Does anyone know??

Also, the first Armenian Church in Madras, built on the Esplanade in 1712
was, according to Seth's book, demolished because the British didn't like
such a tall building standing so close to the Fort. However Seth says
elsewhere that that Church, along with many other buildings in the vicinity
of the Fort, was levelled by the French invasion of 1746. Which is true - or
are they both true, i.e. the Church was rebuilt and then demolished again?

Mike Lavocah

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