Chennai's iconic St George's Cathedral gets facelift

One of iconic landmarks of Chennai over two century old St Georges Cathedral located on Cathedral Road has been renovated said church officialsAccording to them the cathedral began showing signs of deterioration caused by environmental factors pollution humidity and urban development pressuresThe tropical climate of Chennai with its monsoon rains and high humidity had led to cracks and peeling in the lime plaster and masonry walls corrosion of metal elements decay of timber components due to termite infestation and moisture and water seepage leading to the weakening of the roof and internal finishes stated a press release issued by the church managementSt Georges Cathedral is the mother church of the Church of South India CSI and the seat of the Bishop of Madras making it one of the most historically and spiritually significant Christian landmarks in the regionThe restoration of St Georges Cathedral has been undertaken with great care guided by the principles of architectural conservation ensuring that the original materials and craftsmanship are retained as much as possible said Bishop of Madras Rt Rev Paul Francis RavichandranProfessor Arun Menon Dept of Civil Engineering IIT Madras and Coordinator National Centre for Safety of Heritage Structures NCSGS prepared the detailed project report added church officialsThe Convenor of the restoration project was Col David Devasahayam Chairman of the Radiant Group of Companies and a member of the congregationWith thanksgiving hope and prayer I commend this restored Cathedral to the glory of God and to the service of His peopleiquest added Bishop Rt Rev RavichandranConsecrated in 1815 St George Cathedral was built during the British East India Companys rule and served as the spiritual heart of the Anglican community in South India Designed in the NeoClassical style the cathedral features a majestic spire elegant Corinthian pillars and a serene white faccedilade symbolizing simplicity and grandeur in equal measureCathedral Presbyter Rev Dr Ruben Jayakumar said This work of restoration is not an ending but a new beginning By preserving St Georges Cathedral Chennai reaffirms its commitment to safeguarding its colonialera architectural heritage ensuring that this sacred space continues to inspire awe and devotion for centuries to comeThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever