The Armenian Church

The Armenian Church in Chennai features a distinctive white bell tower housing six heavy bells that swing above the quiet sanctuary of the Armenian Street. Established in seventeen twelve by a small, influential community of traders, it serves as the final resting place for hundreds of Armenians who built the city’s early mercantile wealth. Harutyun Shmavonian, the man who published the world’s first Armenian journal, The Azdarar, right here in seventeen ninety-four, lies buried in the church courtyard among them.