When Hyderabad lost the battle of church to Madras

The St John’s Church in Secunderabad is considered the oldest church in Hyderabad and dates back to 1813. The oldest Christian mission in Madras (Chennai) is dated to June 8, 1642, which was founded by Father Ephraim of Nevers in France. And thereby hangs a tale of courtly intrigue, blandishments and how medieval histories have shaped modern cities.

“Hyderabad has a long history with Christianity as many travellers and traders passed through the city. What we see today are just what has survived. Prayers were often conducted in homes and were considered churches,” says B. Prakash, Pastoral Steward at the Wesley Centenary Church, when asked about the oldest church in the city. 

Among the travellers through the city was Fr Ephraim who was on his way to what is now Myanmar. In order to avoid the Portuguese who controlled the seas, he chose to travel overland through Golconda kingdom. Here he ran into Mirza Nizamuddin, who was married to Sultan Abdullah Qutb Shah’s eldest daughter, and was set to take the reins of the government.

“He (Mirza Nizamuddin) did all he could to induce him to remain in his country, and offered to build for him, at his own cost, a house and a church, assuring him that he would lack neither occupation nor parishioners, since some Christian Portuguese and many Armenians came every year for trade,” wrote the diamond merchant Jean Baptiste Tavernier about the offer.

Mirza Nizamuddin became interested in Fr Ephraim as he was both a linguist and a mathematician.

Unfortunately, Fr Ephraim was denied permission by his superiors and he continued his journey to Madras. Mirza Nizamuddin gifted him a suit, an ox and two attendants for his journey. In 1649, Fr Ephraim was lured and kidnapped by the Portuguese, who smuggled him to Goa during the Inquisition.

The saviour again was the Golconda kingdom which threatened the Portuguese and secured his release.

A decade later in 1652, a Church of Our Lady of Good Succour was established in Hyderabad. The church exists in a very different form in Jahanuma area, testified by the gravestones from that era. 

The oldest surviving church in the city is that of St John’s in Secunderabad. Incidentally, Fr Ephraim went on to start the first missionary school in India when he opened the doors of his church in 1642.