Immaculate Conception Cathedral, Puducherry
Encyclopedia
Immaculate Conception Cathedral is the cathedral
mother church
for the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Pondicherry and Cuddalore
. It is located in the Union territory of Pondicherry. It is also called as "Samba Kovil" , which is a phonetic corruption of "Saint Paul’s Kovil" where "Kovil" means church.
, king of France, erected a beautiful church which was demolished by the Dutch in the following year. A second Church was quickly built in 1699 but could not last long.
From 1728 to 1736 a large beautiful Church was built on the very site the present Cathedral stands now. It was third by serial. This Church was razed to the ground by the British in 1761 during the Seven Years War.
Erecting in 1765 provisionally (fourth in serial) a functional kind of irregular shaped shed where the Mission Press (official press depot of the archdiocese) in now, since the year 1770 the Fathers were earnest in building the present cathedral on the foundations of the 3rd Church. On 20 June 1791 the main work was finished and the Church was consecrated by Bishop Champenois. The Bell tower was built later. The choir loft was added in 1905. The Sanctuary was remodeled in the year 1970. the esplanade in front of the Cathedral has been remodeled in 1987, to allow people to take part in liturgical ceremonies and special functions held outside.
The Fest of this Church i.e., Immaculate Conception
of Blessed Virgin Mary falls on the 8th of December. Now The church which stands for around 300 years is also the place where the bishop house is also situated. Mass
services in Tamil and English are conducted.
It is one of the oldest tourist site in Pondicherry. This Church was also visited by Mother Theresa during her visit to Pondicherry.
, Pondicherry chapter of Bharatiya Janata Party
threatened to destroy the Cathedral saying that it was build on a former Hindu temple called Vedapureeshwarar Temple dedicated for Lord Shiva under the name, Samba Eswar. For the next few weeks Cathedral was given police protection after this threat.
In the following weeks the then Archbishop, Michael Augustine and the Government of Pondicherry started independent investigation to find out the truth in this matter. Their findings were:
These findings were largely based on the letters to Rome by French Fathers stationed in Pondicherry at the time period and more importantly by the Diary of Ananda Ranga Pillai
The portion of the diary which describes the destruction of the Temple is as follows:
These findings were later confirmed by Writer and historian Prapanchan
from Pondicherry.
Cathedral
A cathedral is a Christian church that contains the seat of a bishop...
mother church
Mother Church
In Christianity, the term mother church or Mother Church may have one of the following meanings:# The first mission church in an area, or a pioneer cathedral# A basilica or cathedral# The main chapel of a province of a religious order...
for the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Pondicherry and Cuddalore
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Pondicherry and Cuddalore
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Pondicherry and Cuddalore is an archdiocese located in the cities of Pondicherry and Cuddalore in India. The Archdiocese now celebrates its 125 years of being elevatd to the status of Archdiocese.-History:...
. It is located in the Union territory of Pondicherry. It is also called as "Samba Kovil" , which is a phonetic corruption of "Saint Paul’s Kovil" where "Kovil" means church.
History
The Jesuit Fathers came to the French colony of Pondicherry as missionaries in 1689. There they bought a very large garden to the West of the French Fort. In the 1692 they, with the financial help of Louis XIVLouis XIV of France
Louis XIV , known as Louis the Great or the Sun King , was a Bourbon monarch who ruled as King of France and Navarre. His reign, from 1643 to his death in 1715, began at the age of four and lasted seventy-two years, three months, and eighteen days...
, king of France, erected a beautiful church which was demolished by the Dutch in the following year. A second Church was quickly built in 1699 but could not last long.
From 1728 to 1736 a large beautiful Church was built on the very site the present Cathedral stands now. It was third by serial. This Church was razed to the ground by the British in 1761 during the Seven Years War.
Erecting in 1765 provisionally (fourth in serial) a functional kind of irregular shaped shed where the Mission Press (official press depot of the archdiocese) in now, since the year 1770 the Fathers were earnest in building the present cathedral on the foundations of the 3rd Church. On 20 June 1791 the main work was finished and the Church was consecrated by Bishop Champenois. The Bell tower was built later. The choir loft was added in 1905. The Sanctuary was remodeled in the year 1970. the esplanade in front of the Cathedral has been remodeled in 1987, to allow people to take part in liturgical ceremonies and special functions held outside.
The Fest of this Church i.e., Immaculate Conception
Immaculate Conception
The Immaculate Conception of Mary is a dogma of the Roman Catholic Church, according to which the Virgin Mary was conceived without any stain of original sin. It is one of the four dogmata in Roman Catholic Mariology...
of Blessed Virgin Mary falls on the 8th of December. Now The church which stands for around 300 years is also the place where the bishop house is also situated. Mass
Mass (liturgy)
"Mass" is one of the names by which the sacrament of the Eucharist is called in the Roman Catholic Church: others are "Eucharist", the "Lord's Supper", the "Breaking of Bread", the "Eucharistic assembly ", the "memorial of the Lord's Passion and Resurrection", the "Holy Sacrifice", the "Holy and...
services in Tamil and English are conducted.
It is one of the oldest tourist site in Pondicherry. This Church was also visited by Mother Theresa during her visit to Pondicherry.
Controversies With The Name
As an after math of Demolition of Babri MasjidDemolition of Babri Masjid
The Demolition of Babri Masjid was the destruction of the 16th-century mosque of Babri Masjid in Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh, India, on December 6, 1992 by Hindu Karsevaks in an attempt to reclaim the land known as Ram Janmabhoomi...
, Pondicherry chapter of Bharatiya Janata Party
Bharatiya Janata Party
The Bharatiya Janata Party ,; translation: Indian People's Party) is one of the two major political parties in India, the other being the Indian National Congress. Established in 1980, it is India's second largest political party in terms of representation in the parliament...
threatened to destroy the Cathedral saying that it was build on a former Hindu temple called Vedapureeshwarar Temple dedicated for Lord Shiva under the name, Samba Eswar. For the next few weeks Cathedral was given police protection after this threat.
In the following weeks the then Archbishop, Michael Augustine and the Government of Pondicherry started independent investigation to find out the truth in this matter. Their findings were:
- A building under the name Vedapureeshwarar Temple was indeed destroyed by Jeanne DupleixJeanne DupleixJeanne Dupleix was wife of Joseph François Dupleix, governor general of the French establishment in India in the 18th century.-Birth and Ancestry:...
, wife of Joseph François DupleixJoseph François DupleixJoseph-François, Marquis Dupleix was governor general of the French establishment in India, and the rival of Robert Clive.-Biography:Dupleix was born in Landrecies, France...
, governor general of the French establishment in India. But Cathedral existed even before that event, and the temple was rebuilt in the same site. - There is no record that name Samba Eswar was used for Lord Shiva in this region. And the word "samba" is a phonetic corruption of "Saint Paul’s Kovil"
- There is no historical evidence that there existed a Temple in the current site of the Cathedral.
These findings were largely based on the letters to Rome by French Fathers stationed in Pondicherry at the time period and more importantly by the Diary of Ananda Ranga Pillai
Ananda Ranga Pillai
Ananda Ranga Pillai , was a dubash in the service of the French East India Company. He is mainly famous for his set of private diaries from the years 1736 to 1761 which portray life in 18th century India.Ananda Ranga Pillai was born in Madras in a well-to-do yadava family...
The portion of the diary which describes the destruction of the Temple is as follows:
- Sunday 8th, September 1750,
- Yesterday 200 soldiers, 60 or 70 troopers and sepoys were stationed at St Paul’s Church in view of the matter on hand. This morning, M Gerbault (the engineer), the priests with diggers, masons, coolies and other 200 in all, with spades, pickaxes and whatever needed to demolish walls began to pull down the southern wall of the Vedpuri Ishwaran Temple and the outhouses. At once the temple manager, Braahmans and mendicants came and told me … Just then … news was brought that Father COEURDOUX , the superior of St. Paul’S church had kicked the inner shrine with his foot and had ordered the Coffrees to remove the doors and the Christians to break the Vaahanams …(Pillai now went to Governor Dupliex in an attempt to save the temple as did the other caste leaders who sought to save the temple’s movable articles but it was all to no avail)
These findings were later confirmed by Writer and historian Prapanchan
Prapanchan
Prapanchan , is the pseudonym of S. Vaidyalingam a Tamil, writer and critic from Pondicherry, India.-Biography:Prapanchan was born in Pondicherry and did his schooling there. His birth name was Vaidyalingam. His father ran a toddy shop. He attended the Karandhai College and graduated as a Tamil...
from Pondicherry.
See also
- Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Pondicherry and CuddaloreRoman Catholic Archdiocese of Pondicherry and CuddaloreThe Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Pondicherry and Cuddalore is an archdiocese located in the cities of Pondicherry and Cuddalore in India. The Archdiocese now celebrates its 125 years of being elevatd to the status of Archdiocese.-History:...
- Roman Catholicism in IndiaRoman Catholicism in IndiaThe Catholic Church in India is part of the worldwide Roman Catholic Church under the leadership of the Pope and the curia in Rome.There are over 17.3 million Catholics in India, which represents less than 2% of the total population and is the largest Christian church within India. There are 157...
- Christianity in IndiaChristianity in IndiaChristianity is India's third-largest religion, with approximately 24 million followers, constituting 2.3% of India's population. The works of scholars and Eastern Christian writings and 14th century Portuguese missionaries created an illusion to convert Indians that Christianity was introduced to...
- List of cathedrals named after the immaculate conception of Blessed Virgin Mary