The Christian Foundation in Pondicherry

The Christian Foundation in Pondicherry

The French Invite the Capuchins
When Colbert formed the French India company in 1664, it was made obligatory on the part of the company to propagate Christ to the world.[1] The Royal Edict of Article xxx issued on August 27, 1664, the company had to make suitable arrangements for the establishment of the Roman Catholicism in all its territories. François Martin a staunch and practicing catholic was glad to invite the Capuchin fathers from Madras to assume their religious duties in Pondicherry. When the French were taking initial steps to acquirePondicherry from the Muslim governor in 1671, they had invited the Capuchins to care for their spiritual needs.[2]  According to Clemente de Terzorio, Fr. Cosmos de Gien went toPondicherry in 1671 and served as a chaplain to the French colony. Since it was not a permanent stay even for the French, whenever they left, he had to leave for Madras.

 Fr. Cosmos De Gien – Founder of the First Christian Mission in Pondicherry
The French established themselves at Pondicherry in 1673 and invited the French Capuchins of the Tourine province from Madras to be their chaplains and to do whatever missionary work was possible.[3] Fr. Cosmos de Gien who had been with the French atPondicherry in 1671 and he was now sent officially to establish a permanent Capuchin mission in Pondicherry.[4] Fr. Cosmos de Gien a true follower of St. Francis came toPondicherry and established the mission on January 15, 1674.[5] He was a man of great missionary zeal and his edified life of simplicity and poverty attracted many non-Christians to Christ. It is Fr. Cosmos de Gien who laid the foundation of the Christian community inPondicherry and he could be rightly honored as the founder of the Pondicherry mission. The Capuchins were given a small church in the Fort built by the French.[6]

City of Pondicherry in 1675

The Capuchin Missionaries from Madras
            Fr. Cosmos de Gien continued to be in Pondicherry till 1691. He worked tirelessly to fulfill the spiritual needs of the people.[7] Because of the increase in the Christian community, it was very difficult to serve them as a single person. Therefore Fr. Gien sought help from Fr. John Baptist of Aignant the superior of the Eastern Capuchin mission in Syriaand he directed him to the Capuchin missionaries in Madras.[8]They positively responded to his request and sent three missionaries Frs. Jacques of Bourges, Lawrence ofAngouleme and Spiritus of Tours to Pondicherry in 1686.[9] These four Capuchin missionaries looked after the spiritual needs of the French, the Portuguese, the Eurasians and Malabaris or the native Christians.[10]
            Pondicherry was under the diocese of Mylapore and the Capuchins subjected themselves to the Bishop of Padroado’s jurisdiction and acknowledged Portuguese patronage.[11] The Capuchins were very successful in their missionary activities. TheseMalabaris are not to be confused with the people of Malabar region in Kerala today but the Christians from Madurai, Mysore and Karnatic regions whom the Jesuit missionaries specially Fr. Robert de Nobili (+1656) allowed to retain certain Hindu practices and customs even after their conversion to Christianity.

 New Missionaries in Pondicherry
            At  the time of François Martin there were only three streets in the growing French township of Pondicherry and the residence of the Capuchins friars area was called the Capuchin street and today it is known as Roman Roland street.[12] The Capuchins since their first arrival in 1632 or rather since their establishment in 1674 were the only missionaries in Pondicherry and in the surrounding districts till 1688.[13] Therefore the Capuchins can be rightly called the first missionaries of Pondicherry.

 M.E.P Fathers
            A great revolution broke out in Siam (Today’s Thailand) in 1687 and the missionaries endured a lot of sufferings and many were expelled.[14]  In the same year Fr.De La Vigne, MEP (the Society of Foreign Missions of Paris), came and established a MEP procure in Pondicherry.

Jesuits
The mission of the French Jesuits failed in Siam and they came to Pondicherry for the first time in 1689.[15] Fr. Cosmos de Gien the mission superior of Pondicherry received them with great affection and Franciscan hospitality.[16] The Jesuits were honoured as dignified guests of Capuchins.[17] They continued to assist the Capuchins from 1686-1693 and lived in perfect harmony. The Capuchins used to invite the Jesuits from Madurai mission to Pondicherry to instruct the Tamil Catholics and administer the sacraments.[18] John deBritto the future martyr at Oriyur(XhpA+H), Marva(kwtehL) country came to Pondicherry at the invitation of the Capuchins. He baptized five adults, one child and blessed three marriages on July-August 1691.
During this time the governor François Martin reorganized the mission that the Capuchins to be in charge of the white and the mixed population, but the Jesuits to work exclusively among the natives.[19] The Jesuit missionaries who wee in-charge of the native Christians had built the church of the Immaculate Conception[20] in Black town, 1691 by the financial help obtained from King Louis XIV.[21] This church was demolished during the Dutch occupation in 1693[22]  and was rebuilt into a big structure in 1726-36.

[1] Here and the following, Yacobu, 17-19.
[2] Here and the following, Peter Celestine, 31-33.
[3] Here and the following,  Sampathkumar, 81.
[4] Hambye,183f.
[5] Here and the following, Peter Celestine, 26.
[6] Hambye, 324-326.
[7] Peter Celestine, 32f.
[8] Christopher O’Mahony, Church History A Summary, vol., ii, Alwaye: Pontifical Institute Publication, 1987, 294.
[9] Sampathkumar, 35.
[10] Peter Celestine, 34f.
[11] Joachim (ed.), 11.
[12] Here and the following, Clemens a Tezorio, 149f.
                                                                                 
                                                                                                               - Fr. A. Thainis, OFM. Cap.,
                                                                                 

The French Capuchin Missionaries arrive Puducherry, India

The French Capuchin Missionaries arrive Puducherry, India

Initial attempts of the Capuchin Foundation in India
In 1625, Fr. Joseph de Tremblay Paris a famous missionary established the first Eastern Capuchin mission in Aleppo, Syria.[1] He sent six Capuchins toIndia[2], to serve as chaplains to the French trading company and these Capuchins landed at Pondicherry in Southeast India on 8, January 1632.[3] They came with royal and papal papers and their settlement in Pondicherry was their extension of the Capuchin missions in the East.[4] There is a big dispute among the Capuchin historians over the exact date of the arrival of the Capuchins at Pondicherry.[5]However it was concluded from the validity of the documents of the General Archives of the Capuchin Order in Rome that the first Capuchins arrived atPondicherry, India on January 8, 1632. The Capuchins who had come with the French Company to Pondicherry were happy to find a few native Christians.[6]
These French Capuchins served not only as chaplains to the French but also made good many conversions among the natives and brought back the erring Christians.[7]  When the mission was full of life with new converts, unfortunately the prospects of the French trading company were affected badly by the rising supremacy of the Dutch in the Coramandal coast. Therefore the French had to close its sea-agency at Pondicherry within two years and the captain Reginon de Dieppe retired to Madagascar. The Capuchins their chaplains who depended upon them were also forced to leave India in 1634. Thus the first mission of the Capuchins came to an end in India.
Peter Celestine in his book speaks about the second attempt of the Capuchins establishment at Pondicherry. He quotes the writings of Fr. Norbert de Bar-le-Duc who was a missionary in Pondicherry from 1736-1739.[8] He was a well known friar and the apostolic preacher to Pope Benedict XIV. And he had written many articles and books about the Capuchin missions in India. According to Fr. Norbert a group of Capuchins arrived in Pondicherry on June 26, 1642 but soon left the place. To substantiate his point Fr. Norbert cites the letters patent of Louis XIII, dated 26, June 1642 which guaranteed Royal protection to the missionaries. No details were available other than the date. Meanwhile the Capuchins established themselves in Surat (1639) and Madras (1642) in South India.

 The French East Company in Pondicherry
The princes of Malo sent the commercial ship of St. Louis with the headship of J. Peppis to India in 1616.[9] He set foot on the soil of a small hamlet of fishermen in South India which was later known as Pondicherry. He established a fort here under the order of the Nayak of Gingee for the commerce of France. But soon this prospect was failed due to the 30 long prolonged years of war in Europe, 1618. Meanwhile, the Holland and the Danish occupied this piece of land. When the French established themselves in Machilipattnam, the French man Bellanger de Lespinay came to meet Sher Khan Lodi the governor of Pondicherry in 1672.Bellanger accepted for a contract to construct a building at Pondicherry. The French took up this trade centre in order to assist their establishment at San Thome.
Bellanger de Lespinay with his assistant François Martin, two Capuchin fathers from Madras and six French men made Pondicherry as their permanent settlement on January, 1673.[10] The French established a fabrics factory here and François Martin became its director on May 5, 1675. Later he was appointed the Director of the Coast of Coromandel of Bengal and of any place where the company could begin a trade. Martin constructed a fort in Pondicherry to product the French interests after 1688 with the amount of 11, 760. Under the zealous efforts of François Martin, Pondicherry developed well and the French fabrics factory was on thrive. He invited the local merchants and weavers from different parts of Tamilnadu to settle in the growing city of Pondicherry. [11] A good number of Christians from Trichy, Thanjavur and Madurai regions settled down inPondicherry.


-Fr. A. Thainis, OFM. Cap.,


[1] LCPH-B OFMCAP (1525-1950), 1661.
[2] Ibid., 1381.
[3] Norbert Wolf, “Capuchin Missions in South India: 17th and 18th Centuries,” RTFR, vol., 26. no., 01, Jan 1961, Wisconsin, 18.
[4] Joachim (ed.), Capuchins in India 1972-1997, New Delhi: CCMSI, Media House, 1998, 10.

[5] Here and the following, Peter Celestine, Early Capuchin Missions in India, Sahibabad: Capuchin Publications, 1982, 13.
[6] Yacobu, History of Puduvai Mission 1776-1976(GJr;Nrhp kp\d; tuyhW), Puduvai: Mission Printers, 1976, 2.
[7] Here and the following, Adolph, 83.
[8] Here and the following, Peter Celestine, 14.
[9] Here and the following, Madanakalyani (trans.,), Puducherry-a city of trade: French College, 1998.
[10] Here and the following, Ramasamy, History of Pondicherry, New Delhi: Sterling Publishers Private Ltd., 1987, 59-63.
[11] Here and the following, Sampath Kumar, 13.