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MANUAL OF THE NILAGIRI DISTRICT. 



CH. XXIV. 



ECCLKSIAS- 

 TICAL. 



-Conr.ent. 



Coonoor and 

 Kdtagiri. 



Church Mis- 

 sionary 

 Society's 

 Tamil 

 Mission. 



I am indebted to tlie Reverend Father Triquet for the following 

 information regarding the Roman Church's mission on the Hills : — 



The Christians of this communion who accompanied Europeans 

 to the Hills in the early days erected a chapel near the house 

 now known as Kilburn. A priest named Paul, from near Soraaniir, 

 visited and administered to the congregation. He had another 

 chapel built for the Pioneers, near Neduwattam, who were 

 employed on the Gudaliir Pass. Later these Pioneers were 

 removed to Kandel, in Ootacamand, and they there built a 

 chapel, which became the principal chapel on the Hills, the priest 

 residing on the spot. In 1830, one Stephen Joachim, the butler 

 of Sir William Rumbold, built another chapel above the old one 

 on the Segur road. The son of this Joachim now officiates there, 

 though he has no canonical orders. In 1839 a priest named 

 Beauclair resigned the old chapel, which is no longer the property 

 of the Roman Catholic Church. This priest built a small chapel 

 at Metucherri, near the site of the present church, in 1839-40, but 

 the chapel (now used as a school-house) being found insufficient 

 for the congregation, in 1859 the Reverend Father Pierron laid 

 the foundation of the present church. It was consecrated on 15th 

 August 1870. It cost upwards of 25,000 rupees, the Mission 

 receiving a grant-in-aid from Government towards the building. 

 The building has been recently much improved, and is now 

 capable of holding a vei'y large congregation. The Roman 

 Catholic population is very numerous, being in the season nearly 

 3,000 souls. The resident priest receives a small allowance from 

 Government of Rupees 30 monthly for the charge of the jail. 



There is a convent of the Society of Marie Reparatrice in a 

 building adjoining the church, established in January 1875. The 

 convent bears the name of Nazareth, and the present community 

 consists of twelve nuns. There are schools, an orphanage, a 

 Magdalene refuge, an asylum for the destitute, and a dispensary 

 attached to the convent. The head-quarters of this Society, 

 whose branches are spread over the world, is at Rome. 



The chapel here is dedicated to St. Anthony. It has accommo- 

 dation for about 300 persons. There are about 800 Catholics in 

 Coonoor and 200 in Kotagiri. 



Other buildings in Ootacamand devoted to religious purposes are 

 the Tamil Mission Chapel near St. Stephen's and Zion Chapel. 

 The building and property of the former are vested in the Bishop 

 and Archdeacon of the diocese. It was built about the year 1857. 

 This mission is a branch of the Church Mission Society. It was 

 formally superintended by a local committee. There is now a 

 resident Native clergyman. Zion Chapel, which is open to all 

 nonconformists, was built in 1857. It holds about 100 persons. 



