St. Joseph’s church in Perumpannaiyur is a grand remainder of the past

An ancient church in Thanjavur calls for attention

The skies are threatening to open up (again) when Saint Joseph’s Church rears up on the horizon in Perumpannaiyur, a village in Tiruvarur district of Tamil Nadu. The massive Roman Catholic shrine’s stately presence is unmissable in a landscape dominated by coconut palms, paddy fields and insistently crowing roosters.

The construction of this imposing structure began in 1871 by Sinnu Udayar, a wealthy Christian landowner, and continued for 14 years until his demise. Later, his nephew, Periasami Udayar, took up the work from 1915, and had the church consecrated by 1919. Signs of cement plaster on the walls indicate work that could have been done some years later too.

“Despite the long and intermittent periods of construction, the church is still incomplete,” says Fr. J. Albert Selvaraj, the parish priest who has been serving here since 2019. “Two bell towers in the front have been left unfinished, and the inner sections’ embellishment is yet to be carried out,” he adds.

Fr. Albert provides pastoral care for close to 500 parishioners in Perumpannaiyur, and the upkeep of St. Joseph’s Church is top priority on his daily roster.

It is not an easy task to take care of this heritage building, as constant exposure to the elements is slowly eroding the edifice.

The building’s high walls make cleaning a tricky, if not a downright risky procedure. “Originally, a thin iron ladder with one end built into the wall was the only way to reach the rooftop. Since this was not practical, especially for repair work, we recently installed an iron staircase and winch,” says Fr. Albert.

Inside, the hall’s most striking feature is an intricately carved wooden altar, with wooden figures of Jesus Christ, St. Joseph, St. Francis Xavier and St. John de Britto, all polished to a stone-like finish.