Peace in bedlam

Hail, Guest, we ask not who thou art;If friend, we greet thee hand and heartIf stranger, such no longer beIf foe, our love will conquer thee-S WillimottIt is these words, painted on an old wooden board, that greet you at the doors of Armenian Church of Virgin Mary. And once inside, you begin to compare the church with paradise. Where else in the hustle and bustle of Parrys will you find a large expanse of green, squirrels scurrying about on leafy bowers, little girls cycling about like there is no tomorrow and a middle-aged man gazing at the bell tower and the church, waiting for a visitor to come ask him about the story of the Armenians.Trevor Alexander  might not be one of them but he knows his Armenian history. “The Armenians who came to India then were mostly merchants from Iran. They traded in gold, spices, rosewater, jewellery, textiles and timber,” says the caretaker of the church.  First built in 1712, the church was reconstructed in 1772 over their cemetery after the original building was demolished during the French occupation of Madras in mid-1700s. The main attraction in the church is the belfry that has six bells on it. Alexander rings these bells every Sunday morning at 9.30. The church is built on about 350 graves. Interestingly, many of these graves have the skull and crossbones symbol on them. “Of the many theories I have heard, one is that the skull and the thigh bones are the ones that decay the last,” says Alexander. Around 500 Armenian families lived in the area around the church in the 1700s and 1800s. Now, not a single family remains. One of the inner walls of the compound is lined with pencil sketches by George Geregorian, the previous caretaker of the church and one of the last Armenians in the city. “He drew these sketches when I was not even born. Now, I am taking care of them,” says Alexander. In the lawns is the grave of Rev Haruthiun Shmavonian, the man who printed the first Armenian newspaper, Azdarar, in the premises of the church.  While the outside of the church is tranquil, the inside is even more peaceful. The altar is simple with the 14 Stations of the Cross painted on it. “Though the church has been renovated, I rarely get visitors. It does get lonely at times,” he  says. There are many reasons to visit the church. Take your pick from visiting the grave of the publisher of Armenia’s oldest journal, to hear the bells toll on a quiet Sunday morning, for a peaceful walk away from the hustle-bustle of Parrys, or just to put a smile on Alexander’s face, for he feels lonely at times. But visit, you must.