Alfred asks: > This article by S. Muthiah refers to St. Mary's co-cathedral on Armenian > street in Chennai. Earlier on, there were two contributions referring to > 'The bells of St. Mary's' which talked about an Armenian church being > refurbished etc. Are these two different churches, or are they one and the > same? Anybody out there who could enlighten me? I have not yet read the article suggested by Hashawardhan but yes the Armenian Church and St. Mary's (RC Co-Cathedral) are different churches a stone's throw away from each other in Armenian Street, Chennai. Was either of them the first church in Madraspatnam? - It depends upon where Madraspatnam stretches to. There is no commonly accepted view as to its origin. Many say it was a fishing village at the mouth of the Cooum River which existed before the arrival, in the 16th century, of the Portuguese - who built churches all around the area! If it includes Fort St. George, then St. Mary's (Anglican) in the Fort predates the St. Mary's (RC) in Blacktown, now Georgetown, by many decades. There was originally a Catholic church within the Fort which was run by French Capuchin friars! After restitution of the Fort to the Company in 1748, the Company adopted a 'face-saving' stance of claiming that these French priests acted as spies for their compatriots leading to its capture in 1746. They threw out the Catholics who then established themselves at St. Mary's, Blacktown and St. Andrew's at Vepery. Good Hunting! Peter Bailey Chairman Families in British India Society www.fibis.org