St. Andrew's Church (the Kirk) (Chennai)

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This is one of the oldest churches in the City.

The St Andrews Church, also commonly referred to as 'The Kirk' (the 'church' in Scottish) is said to be one of the ten most beautiful Georgian buildings in the world, and has a close to 200 year history as a living church.

The Kirk is unique in many ways. It was built on marshland as that was the only land the builders could afford at that time. So the foundations had to be especially engineered to ensure the building didn't sink unevenly and fall apart! So the foundations consist of a series of circular masonry wells that draw the moisture down and provide a stable foundation for the building. Read more about this here:

www.hinduonnet.com/thehindu/mp/2003/04/16/stories/20030...

Another unusual feature of the Kirk is that the sanctuary is round, with a great dome fifty one and a half feet forming the roof! The dome is held up by breathtaking fluted 'Corinthian columns', and painted like the night sky! The floor consists of checquered marble slabs, giving it a gracious, spacious look. The giant doors let in the cool sea breeze, and stained glass windows high up on the circular walls, as well as above the doors, let in the light.

Content : David Appasamy
Inclusion to WikiMapia : Arun George John [arungj at gmail dot com]