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Link with the past

Photos: S. Mahinsha, C. Ratheesh Kumar

Relics (Clockwise from left) CSI Christ Church before the renovation; altar and choir stalls with stained glass windows in the background; antique hearse; grave of Issac Henry Prince, Sircar Vakil

Tucked away in a grove of tress, amidst the hustle and bustle of Palayam is a quaint church with white washed walls.

Christ Church, as it is called, belonging to the Church of South India (CSI) congregation is the oldest church in the city and one of the few remnants of its long forgotten colonial heritage. Tomorrow, this church will usher in celebrations for the 150th anniversary of its consecration.

Built in the late 1850’s by the then British Resident, General Cullen, primarily for European worshippers, CSI Christ Church resembles one of those small quintessentially English churches you would chance upon a village in the British dales.

“The church was constructed in the ‘Plavilapuredam’ of the Puthenchantha ‘pravrithi’ given free of cost to the congregation by the Government of erstwhile Travancore. The Public library opposite to the church was then the residence of the Resident and the university stadium adjacent to it was once the parade ground of the military brigade. All this area, 66 acres and 64 cents to be exact, was part of the military garrison,” says church official Ipe Kuruvilla.

“Earlier divine services for Europeans used to be conducted in a room at the residency. In order to build the church the parishioners, both Indian and European, collected about Rs.2,600 and received an equal amount from the Government of Fort St. George (Madras),” he adds.

Inside the church, high beams of polished wood support a roof made of old-fashioned tiles and everything from the vestry, to the pews, font, pulpit, lectern and the brilliantly coloured antique stained glass windows behind the altar reflect the elegant austerity of a bygone era, preserved with care by the current generation of parishioners.

“The wooden pulpit, the eagle-shaped lectern and the font made of stone are as old as the church itself,” remarks James Cherian, convener of the church. “Actually the church itself was renovated and enlarged in the 1960’s by the late architect Laurie Baker, without spoiling its symmetry and aesthetic beauty,” adds Cherian as he points out the ‘extensions’ in the nave of the church.

Quite surprisingly, there was no visible evidence to any sort of refurbishment, save for the windows and a bend in the high beams.

Here and there upon the walls are commemorative brass plaques, in memory of those European parishioners, including William Marshall of the Merchiston Estate in Ponmudi and Robert Harvey of Glasgow who was the Professor of English and Moral philosophy at the Maharaja’s College (University College) and Charles Schofield, another professor of English. The plaque dedicated to Stanley Neville Ure, Chairman of the Public Service Commission, Special Magistrate and tutor to the Elaya Raja of Travancore, was erected on behalf of the young Uthradam Thirunal Marthanda Varma himself.

Also on display in a specially constructed glass-fronted shed is an antique horse-drawn hearse. The common vault designed by Laurie Baker, who himself is buried in vault number 117, is another noteworthy feature.

Those buried in the graveyard too reflect a veritable who’s who of British gentry in erstwhile Travancore.

Here one can find the graves of numerous British soldiers and family members of the erstwhile Travancore Nair Brigade apart from the missionaries and others illustrious personalities such as John Caldecott, astronomer to the Raja; the Sircar Vakil - Issac Henry Prince and author C.M. Augur who wrote ‘The Church History of Travancore.’

Perhaps none of them more poignant than the ‘weeping stone,’ an unmarked grave in the shape of a cross entwined with roses.

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