St. Mary's Church, Chennai

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St. Mary’s Church is situated in the fort St. George, Rajaji Salai, Chennai, Tamil Nadu. Edit

Detail InformationEdit

The St. Mary’s Church, also called as the ‘Westminster Abbey of the East’, has its own importance. It is one of the ancient buildings of Chennai and also it is the first Anglican Church in Asia. It is also considered as the oldest Anglican Church east of Suez and has been named as St. Mary because its origin was laid down on the Annunciation day of the Virgin Mary. It is believed that on this divine day, the heavenly declaration of Jesus’ birth had been announced to Mother Mary.

St. Mary’s Church, Chennai

HistoryEdit

St. Mary’s Church was constructed in 1678-1680 AD by the British East India Company. This historically very significant church has an old prayer house inside it that solemnized the marriages of important figures of East India Company like Robert Clive and Elihu Yale (Co-founder of Yale University in USA). The architect of the church was either Edward Foule, Master-Gunner of Fort St. George, or William Dixon, Chief Gunner of the Fort, in 1678. The building consists of a nave and two aisles, with the nave protruding about 12 feet further than the aisles, thus forming the sanctuary. This extension was carried out in 1884 to house the choir. The British East India Company entered India around 1600 AD for trading and Chennai was one of the earliest places of British occupancy in India. Fort St. George was constructed by the British in the year 1644. The fort also houses the secretariat of the Tamil Nadu state government. Besides the secretariat building there are various other offices, and the holy church revered by millions, St. Mary’s Church.

Must SeeEdit

Attraction

Visiting TimeEdit

N.A.

Closed OnEdit

N.A.

Best Season to VisitEdit

November to February.

Best Time To VisitEdit

Morning, Afternoon, Evening.

Time Required for SightseeingEdit

Minimum 30 minutes.

Ticket Required : No Edit

Individual National Adult Rs. : N.A.

Kids Rs. : N.A.

Individual Foreigner Adult Rs. : N.A.

Kids Rs. : N.A.

Still Photo Camera Rs. : N.A.

Video Camera Rs. : N.A.

Guide Required : No Edit

Approximate cost: N.A.

Dress Code (If Any) : No Edit

Dress Require: N.A.

Restaurants NearbyAdd / Edit

Kayal ; Le Royal Meridien, 1, GST Road, In Le Royal Meridien, St. Thomas Mount, Chennai. ; Ph/M – 91-44-22314343;+91-44-43534545;+91-9840537312;+91-9840537312. ; Food Serve – Sea food.

How to ReachEdit

Taxi : Taxis (locally called “call-taxis” since they must be pre-arranged) are available by phone. Since there are so many listed in thr phone book already and they are mostly reliable we don’t list any. They can be ordered air-conditioned and have digital fare meters, although time-based hire is also possible with some companies. Most companies charge a minimum fare of Indian rupee 100/-(Non-AC)/150/-(AC), which is for 4km (2.4 mile) and for every subsequent kilometre they charge Indian rupee 12/- or 13/-.

Bus : One of Asia’s largest bus stations is in Chennai, the CMBT. There are seven different state owned corporations which drive buses to and from various destinations within South India. There are hourly buses for places like Tirupati, Pondicherry, Coimbatore, Tirunelveli etc. Metropolitan Transport Corporation (MTC) buses ply throughout the city accessing areas which are not accessed by the suburban trains. These are Government-run and extremely cheap. Chennai has few major termini from where the majority of the buses ply towards the rest of the city. Normally Bus Fare in MTC range from Indian rupee 4 – Indian rupee 50.

Train : Chennai Central (code MAS) and Chennai Egmore (code MS) are the two main long distance train stations. There are daily trains from Chennai to Bengaluru, Mumbai, Coimbatore, Delhi, Cochin, Hyderabad Kolkata and most of the big cities of India. The Egmore station covers most of the places in Tamil Nadu and a few important places outside it. The long trains to Egmore stop at Tambaram and some at Perambur. These two stations serve the suburban areas of Chennai. Prepaid taxis, cabs auto rickshaws are available for hire just outside the station.

Air : The third busiest airport of India is the Chennai International Airport which is located at a distance of 7 km from the main city. Both, international and domestic flights land at different terminals: the international flights arrive at the Anna Terminal whereas the domestic flights at Kamaraj Terminal. These two terminals are located at a distance of only 150 metres from each other. Both the terminals are well connected to the major cities of India and the world, respectively. Within a few rupees you can reach the city, but if you have rather bulky luggage look for other options like the pre-paid taxi booth.

Others : Auto-rickshaw/Tuk-tuk drivers in Chennai do not use meters; some try to overcharge and often drive rashly, but that’s part of the fun of being in Chennai. Share autos have emerged in the recent years as an alternative mode of transport in Chennai. There are four wheelers known as meter taxis, which don’t have a meter and are not taxis. They supplement the existing bus services and sometimes operate on routes based on Must See demand.

Things to CarryEdit

The backpack must contain water bottles and juices. Hats, scarves, sun- screen lotion, umbrellas and sun glasses are a must, when traveling in the city.
Carrying medicines for fever, dysentery and diarrhea is advisable.
Camera and video-cam are the must carry things.

Safety / WarningEdit

Keep your valuables safely tucked against your body and avoid flashing money in public .
Before purchasing any product confirm the price from local people.