CSI Home Church, Nagercoil

CSI Home Church is one of the largest and oldest churches in Asia.^[2] In 1818 the Christian mission established at Mylaudy by Rev. William Tobias Ringeltaube, a Prussian was shifted to Nagercoil in 1818 under the visonary leadership of his sucessor Rev. Charles Mead, who felt the need for a large church in the new mission headquarters. The Foundation stone for this church was laid on January 1st, 1818 by Rev. Richard Knill and the construction progressed in the later years aided by the arrival of Rev. Charles Mault in 1821. The land on which the church was built was donated by the then British Travancore resident, General John Munro, 9th of Teaninich, who had acted as a catalyst between the Missionary and the government of Madras and the Kingdom of Travancore.^[3][4] This helped in the Theological Education for about two Centuries.^[5][6] The church hosted the wedding of linguistic scholar Robert Caldwell in 1844. He died 28 August 1891, and was buried in Tirunelveli.^[7]

The building is in Greek style is 140 ft × 70 ft (43 m × 21 m). This is one of the oldest and biggest of the Protestant churches in South India. The edifice can provide accommodation for nearly 2500 people at a time.