The Church of Our Lady of Light in Mylapore, known to everyone as Luz Church, carries a stone inscription dating it to 1516. That makes it one of the oldest European buildings still in use in India and, by most accounts, the oldest church in Chennai. It is a Grade I building on CMDA’s draft heritage list, the highest grade, and it gave its name to the whole Luz neighbourhood, from the Portuguese word for light.
Its main annual event is the feast from 6 to 15 August, ending on the Feast of the Assumption. Here is what is known about its origins, what to look for inside, and how to visit.
The 1516 inscription and the legend
An inscription on the south wall, as translated by Culture Trip, says that Friar Pedro of the Franciscan Observance built this church of Our Lady of Light in 1516. Historians debate whether the present building is that early. Mylapore Times notes the date is disputed, but that the shrine almost certainly goes back to the early 1500s, a few years after the Portuguese reached India by sea.
The parish story is a sailors’ tale. Portuguese friars caught in a storm off the Coromandel coast prayed to Mary and followed a light in the sky to land. They built a small shrine in thanks in the scrub forest where it led them. That forest gave the church its Tamil name, Kattu Kovil, the temple in the woods. The parish account links the friars to Pedro Alvares Cabral’s Portuguese fleet; the News Minute gives the number of priests as eight.
How old is it compared with other Chennai churches?
| Church | Date usually given |
|---|---|
| Luz Church, Mylapore | 1516 (inscription) |
| Church at St Thomas Mount | 1523 |
| St Mary’s Church, Fort St George | 1680 |
| Armenian Church, George Town | 1712 (first church on site) |
| St George’s Cathedral | 1815 |
| Santhome Basilica (present building) | 1893 |
Dates in the table are as listed by the News Minute. Santhome has older roots, since the Portuguese built a church over the tomb of St Thomas long before the present Gothic basilica, but its current structure is late Victorian. Luz has kept its early form, much enlarged.
What to look at
From the outside the church is modest: a whitewashed front with a curved gable and twin towers on a quiet tree-lined stretch of Luz Church Road. Inside, Culture Trip describes a mix of Gothic, Baroque and classical details, with gilded altars and ceilings painted in pale blue frescoes. Look for:
- The inscription stone on the south wall, in Portuguese.
- The main altar with the image of Our Lady of Light.
- The ceilings, whose painted panels are easy to miss if you only look ahead.
- The facade at night during the August feast, when it is lit up.
The building has been repaired and extended several times. Culture Trip says it was damaged in the late seventeenth century when Golconda’s forces fought over the coast, and was later fully renovated.
The August feast
The parish feast begins on the evening of 6 August with the blessing and hoisting of the church flag and ends on 15 August. In 2025 the opening Mass was held in the open air with the facade illuminated, and daily novenas and Masses followed, Mylapore Times reported. The 500th year was celebrated in 2016 with visiting bishops, including Cardinal Oswald Gracias of Bombay on the final evening.
The feast draws large crowds in the evenings. If you are driving, expect slow traffic around Luz Church Road and the roads toward Alwarpet and Mylapore tank.
Visiting tips
- The church belongs to the Archdiocese of Madras-Mylapore and is an active parish. Visit outside Mass times if you want to look around, or sit quietly at the back during a service.
- Dress modestly and keep phones on silent. Ask before photographing people at prayer.
- Mass times change for feasts and seasons; confirm with the parish office. Mylapore Times listed the office number as 044 2499 2568 in 2016.
- It sits close to the Mylapore heritage circuit: Santhome Basilica and the Kapaleeshwarar temple are each a short auto ride away.
Quick answers
Is Luz Church the oldest church in Chennai?
It is usually described as the oldest, based on its 1516 inscription, though the exact date is debated.
Why is it called Kattu Kovil?
Because it was built in a scrub forest. Kattu Kovil means temple in the woods.
When is the Luz Church feast?
From 6 August, when the flag is hoisted, to 15 August, the Feast of the Assumption.
Where did the name Luz come from?
Luz is Portuguese for light, after Our Lady of Light. The neighbourhood took its name from the church.
Information checked against official sources on 18 October 2026. Fees, dates and rules can change; confirm on the linked official pages before acting.
Sources
- Draft List of Heritage Buildings in CMA, Phase I (Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority)
- 500th year of church in Luz: celebrations from Aug 6 (Mylapore Times, Aug 2016)
- Two churches host flag hoisting ceremonies to mark launch of annual feasts (Mylapore Times, Aug 2025)
- The story behind Chennai’s oldest church (Culture Trip)
- Chennai’s colonial-era churches (The News Minute)
