St. Mary's Church is the oldest Roman Catholic church in the city of Secunderabad

Secunderabad

Secunderabad popularly known as the twin city of Hyderabad is located in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh north of Hyderabad. Named after Sikandar Jah, the third Nizam of the Asaf Jahi dynasty, Secunderabad was founded in 1806 AD as a British cantonment...

, India. It was formerly the Cathedral of the Archdiocese of Hyderabad. It is dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary

Blessed Virgin Mary (Roman Catholic)

Roman Catholic veneration of the Blessed Virgin Mary is based on Holy Scripture: In the fullness of time, God sent his son, born of a virgin. The mystery of the incarnation of the Son of God through Mary thus signifies her honour as Mother of God...

. Adjacent to the church is the convent of St. Ann's which runs the locally famous St. Ann's High School, Secunderabad

St. Ann's High School, Secunderabad

Saint Ann's High School is a girls school located at East Marredpally, Secunderabad, India.It was opened on April 1, 1871. Saint Ann's Convent was founded by Mother Enrichetta, an Italian missionary, in the 18th century. It is named after Saint Anne, known by tradition as the mother of The Virgin...

.

History

The church began with the work of Fr. Daniel Murphy among Irish Catholics in the British Army. He arrived in India in 1839, and began the construction of St. Mary's church as a cathedral in 1840. It was completed and blessed in 1850, and was at that time the largest church in Hyderabad State

Hyderabad State

-After Indian independence :When India gained independence in 1947 and Pakistan came into existence in 1947, the British left the local rulers of the princely states the choice of whether to join one of the new dominions or to remain independent...

. The church ceased to be a cathedral in 1886, when the see

Episcopal See

An episcopal see is, in the original sense, the official seat of a bishop. This seat, which is also referred to as the bishop's cathedra, is placed in the bishop's principal church, which is therefore called the bishop's cathedral...

 was moved from Secunderabad to Hyderabad.

Architecture

The church is a typical example of the Indian Gothic

Gothic Revival architecture

The Gothic Revival is an architectural movement that began in the 1740s in England...

 style, with curved arches and pointed buttresses. As with other Catholic churches, St. Mary's has several side altars dedicated to saints.

Bells

The church has four bells, which were brought from Italy in 1901. One of the bells is reported to have developed cracks.

Mass Schedule

Daily Mass in English at 6 am and 6 pm.

Sunday Masses:

• 6 am - Tamil
• 7 am - English
• 8:15 am - Telugu
• 9:15 am - Children's Mass
• 9:30 am - English
• 11:30 am -English
• 5 pm - English
• 6 pm- English

See Also

• St. John's Church, Secunderabad
  St. John's Church, Secunderabad
  The Church of St. John the Baptist was consecrated and dedicated in 1813. It is the oldest church in the twin cities of Hyderabad and Secunderabad. Popularly known simply as St. John’s, the church initially served the spiritual needs of the British Forces stationed at Lancer’s Line, Secunderabad...
  
  
• List of churches in Secunderabad and Hyderabad