The Armenian Church

What travelers say:

The Armenian Church, constructed in 1712 and reconstructed in 1772, is one of the oldest churches of the Indian subcontinent, located in Chennai. It is famous for its belfry of six. The Church, also called the Armenian Church of Virgin Mary, is located on the Armenian Street in the neighbourhood of George TownFunctioning 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. Today there are none of them left.