The visit to “The Apostle of Tirunelveli”, tomb and
a Heritage Monument at Palayamkottai, Tirunelveli was a part of “Tirunelveli
Heritage Walk”, organised by CultureCircuits, on 11th to 13th
July 2025. Thanks to Balakumaran GS and Krishnakumar TK for arranging this walk.
Brief history of CET Rhenius Tomb….
Charles Theophilus Ewald Rhenius was born on 5 November 1790 in a place named Graudenz, in Prussia,
Germany. Rhenius studied in the Cathedral
School in Marienwerder till he was 14. Against his family members' and Uncles ' wishes, Rhenius wished to become a missionary of Christianity. He went to
Berlin, studied to be a pastor and was ordained in 1812. He had his training in
London, also.
Being a Protestant, Rhenius came to
India through the Church Mission Society (C.M.S) on the 4th of July 1984, after the British
Government passed an ordinance permitting him to proceed to India, due to a shortage of Anglican Clerics in CMS. Rhenius stayed in Tharangambadi for five
months and learnt Tamil. He married a Dutch woman named Annie Van Someran in Madras.
Of the two missions, CMS had an early start. On the
day its first missionary, C.T.E.Rhenius (5.11.1790), set foot in Tirunelveli
(7th July 1820), the Church in Tirunelveli might be said to have come into its
own. Acquiring for CMS the valuable property which Hough had purchased from
Vengu Mudaliar in 1818 to the south of the main road in Palayamkottai, Rhenius
and his assistant Schmid soon got entrenched in a strategic complex from where
they began to operate their mission. The first CMS congregation in
Palayamkottai (Murugankurichi) came into existence on 10th March 1822, and the
earlier SPCK congregations gradually got merged with the CMS congregations.
In 1824, Rhenius purchased a land from his Hindu
friend and philanthropist, Vengu Mudaliar, for a concessional price of Rs. 750,
a valuable property to the north of the High Road in Palayamkottai. For his missionary work in Tirunelveli, he was
called 'The Apostle of Tirunelveli’.
It was just when Rhenius stood at the crest of his
missionary career that there burst out an unfortunate schism burst out in the Tirunelveli
Mission of the CMS. Rhenius was
dismissed by the CMS. After handing over, he moved to Madras via Thoothukudi.
Went to Arcot to start his own missionary. Later, he was called back to
Tirunelveli. His health began to fail under the tension and strain caused by
it, and on 5th June 1838 at 7:30 pm, at the age of 48, the Apostle of Tirunelveli quietly entered into the presence of
his Lord and Master. By intense and systematic work, Rhenius had set up as many
as 371 congregations in Tirunelveli, all within 15 years.
Rhenius had authored books, a translated version of the Bible in Tamil, and improved it after getting suggestions from his Hindu
friends, an Essay on the Principles of Translating the Holy Scriptures, A
Grammar of the Tamil Language, and a Summary of a Body of Divinity.
The man chosen by the CMS to take the place of
Rhenius was Rev. George Pettitt, who is best remembered as the builder of the
stately steeple on the Holy Trinity Cathedral (1845) (Oosi Gopuram). From this,
it is clear tha the Holy Trinity Cathedral was not constructed by Rhenius, as
claimed by many people.
Ref
An article on Missionaries at Tirunelveli Diocese
The memorial at Palayamkottai contains the tombs of
Charles Theophilus Ewald Rhenius and his family members.
The Tomb inscription is as given below…
SACRED TO THE MEMORY OF
CHARLES THEOPHILUS EWALD RHENIUS
BORN ON THE 5TH NOVEMBER 1790
LANDED AT MADRAS ON THE 4TH JULY 1814
DIED AT PALAMCOTTA ON THE 5TH JUNE 1838
“SURELY MY JUDGEMENT IS WITH THE LORD
AND MY WORK WITH MY LORD”
The inscription in Tamil reads as….
சார்லிஸ் இரொனிஸ்
ஐயரவர்கள் ௲௭௱௯௰௵ நவம்பர் ௴௫௳.
புருசிய தேசத்திலே
பிறந்து ௲அ௱௰௪௵ சூலாயி ௴௪௳
சென்னப்பட்டணத்திற்
சேர்ந்து அத்திசை யிலும்
விசேஷமாகத்திரிநெல்வேலி
நாட்டிலுஞ்சுவிசேஷத்தை
த்தயிரியமாயும்
உண்மையாயும் பிரசங்கித்து
௲அ௱௩அ ௵சூன்௴௫௳
வரைக்கும் நல்ல சேவகத்தைப் பண்ண
நித்திய
இராட்சியத்துகுட்பட்டார்
நீதியென்னுங்
கிரீடத்தை நீதியுள்ள நியாயாதிபதியாகிய கர்த்தர்
அந்நாளிலேயெனக்குமாத்திரமல்ல
அவர்பிரசன்னமாகுத்
வில
விரும்பினயாவருக்குந் தந்தருளுவார். உ.தீமோ.௪.௮.
The inscription in English reads as….
HERE REST THE MORTAL REMAINS OF
REV. CHARLES THEOPHILUS EWALD RHENIUS.
(05.11.1790 – 05.06.1838).
THE MOST ENERGETIC OF ALL MISSIONARIES TO THIS LAND, WHO BY HIS ZEALOUS AND DEVOTED LABOURS FROM 1820 TILL HIS DEATH.
LAID THE FIRM FOUNDATIONS OF THE CHURCH IN
TIRUNELVELI.
THE HUNDREDS OF CONGREGATIONS HE FOUNDED.
THE CHURCHES AND SCHOOLS SPREAD ALL OVER THE
DISTRICT, WHICH HE BUILT
ARE THE RICH LEGACY INHERITED BY
THE CSI DIOCESE OF TIRUNELVELI
WHICH, IN GREATFUL REMEMBRANCE OF THE APOSTLE TO
TIRUNELVELI
HAS RAISED THIS
RHENIUS BICENTENARY MEMORIAL MONUMENT
On 05 - 11 - 1990
LOCATION OF THE TOMB:
CLICK HERE
The Rev. George Pettitt, who is best remembered as the builder of the stately steeple on the Holy Trinity Cathedral (1845) (Oosi Gopuram).
--- OM SHIVAYA NAMA
---
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