St Andrew's Church, Chennai

The St. Andrew 's Church (St. Andrew's Church, Tamil: புனித அந்திரேயா கோவில் ) called, The Kirk, is a Church in Chennai ( Madras), the capital of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is located in Egmore district was built 1818-1821 in neo-classical style along the lines of the London Church of St. Martin-in -the-Fields. The St. Andrew 's Church originally served as the church for the Scottish inhabitants of Madras and is still used today by a Presbyterian congregation.

History

During the British colonial Madras, now Chennai, was one of the centers of the British colonial power in India. Among the British inhabitants of Madras were some Scots, belonged to the Presbyterian Church of Scotland. 1813 sent the Church of Scotland a first Presbyterian minister to Madras appointed to look after the Scottish inhabitants of the city. After 1815, the St. George's Church ( later Cathedral ) was built for the Anglican members of the Church of England, have been calls for his own church for the members of the Church of Scotland. On April 6, 1818, the foundation stone for the St. Andrew 's Church was laid on 25 February 1821, the church was consecrated. It is the Apostle Andrew, the patron saint of Scotland ordained. Mostly, the St. Andrew 's Church after the Scottish Word is named for " Church " The Kirk.

In 1947, the United Presbyterian, Anglican, Congregational, Reformed and Methodist Churches of South India for the Church of South India ( CSI). According to the CSI is also responsible for St. Andrew 's Church to its jurisdiction. The church denies, however, the Church of South India to belong to, but considered as an autonomous unit, which operates according to the specifications of a law on the Church of Scotland from the year 1899. The Church of Scotland in turn dissociates itself from the St. Andrew 's Church and confirms the claim of the Church of South India.

Specifications

The St. Andrew 's Church is one of the best examples of Georgian classicism in the British colonial architecture in India. The St. Andrew 's Church is modeled on London's Church of St. Martin-in -the-Fields, differs from it but by its circular plan. St. Martin -in- the-Fields was also originally planned as a rotunda, but was ultimately realized with a rectangular floor plan.

The core of the St. Andrew 's Church is the circular central building with a diameter of 25.3 meters. It is topped by a dome with a diameter of 15.7 meters and a height of 7.3 meters. Each of the columns which support the dome is 7.9 meters high. To the east and west of the central building a 17.3 meter wide stem is preceded with an ionic portico, respectively. In the west porch is an acute, 50.7 meters high tower is built. The church is daubed bright white from the outside, the interior dominates the bright blue domed roof.

Since the St. Andrew 's Church was built on swampy terrain near the Cooum river, it is based on some 300 brick and sand-filled well shafts. The use of such well shafts instead of the usual wooden stakes in Europe in this part of India is a traditionally used technique and shows how the colonial architecture despite their entirely European design language resorted to Indian building techniques.