St. John's Church, Vellore
| St. John’s Church | |
|---|---|
| Vellore Fort Church | |
| Vellore Fort Church | |
| Coordinates: 12°55′12″N 79°07′41″E / 12.9201289°N 79.1280345°E | |
| Location | Vellore Fort |
| Country | India |
| Denomination | Church of South India |
| Tradition | Anglican |
| History | |
| Consecrated | Never officially consecrated |
| Architecture | |
| Style | Classical exterior, English Gothic |
| Groundbreaking | 1844 |
| Completed | 1846 |
| Construction cost | BINR 5559 |
| Specifications | |
| Nave length | 50x41 ft2 |
| Administration | |
| Diocese | Vellore Diocese |
St. John’s Church is located inside the Vellore Fort, Tamil Nadu State, India. The Church was raised in 1846 by the Government of Madras for the officers and men of the East India Company military station. The church is called after St. John the Evangelist. However, the church was never officially consecrated and hence not officially named as St. John’s Church. St. John's Church is the oldest standing church in the Vellore Diocese. The church stands inside the Vellore Fort, which is under the control of the Archaeological Survey of India, along with the Vijaynagar period Jalakanteswarar Temple, Tippu Mahal, Hyder Mahal, Candy Mahal, Badhusha Mahal and the Begum Mahal.
In Vellore, there existed a Chaplain of the East India Company since 1798 for the European officers. A catechist appointed by the Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge (SPCK) cared for the native converted Christians. Some of the SPCK missionaries serving in Vellore were Gericke (up to 1803), Paexold (till his death in 1817) and Rev. L P Haubroe appointed by Dr. Rottler of Vepery.
In 1769, Gericke, a missionary of the Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge (SPCK) and a pupil of Christian Friedrich Schwarz, commenced Christian missionary work at Vellore. In 1773, Fabricius of Vepery, raised the very first church building at Vellore Fort, to be used as a chapel for Sunday services and to be used as a school for children on other days, and with the condition that the building can also be used by the native congregation. Fabricius contributed 60 pagados from the Vepery Mission Fund, Mr. Pelling, who was the civil representative of the Madras Government at Vellore, contributed 10 pagados. The officers and men of the Company regiment at Vellore Fort contributed rest of the funds required for raising this first chapel at the Vellore Fort. In 1780, during Second Anglo-Mysore War, Vellore Fort fell into the Hands of Hyder Ali, and was restored back to British Rule in 1784. In view of the increased military presence at the Fort, the chapel building was taken up to accommodate men of the 72nd Regiment. In 1787, Schwartz, wrote to the Madras Government, asking them to either buy the building or pay rent. The Government agreed to buy the building for 300 pagados (p. 619-p. 621).
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