St. Stephen’s church Ooty is one of the oldest churches in the Nilgiris district. Situated in Ooty, it was built exclusively for the British settled there. On April 23, 1829, the birthday of King George IV, the foundation for the St. Stephen’s Church Ooty was laid. John Matthias Turner, Bishop of Calcutta consecrated the church in 1830.
The architect of this beautiful Gothic church was John James Underwood. It costed Rs.24,000 to build.
To suit the climes of the hills, the church was built using wood bought from Tipu Sultan’s palace. The pew is raised and stained glass paintings of Mary with baby Jesus adorn the eastern wall. The Last Supper adorns the western wall.
Place Statistics:
Type of place: Ancient Church
Situated: Ooty, Tamil Nadu
Distance: 20 Km (shorter route via Masinaguid) and 155 Km (longer route via Gudalur) from Mysore and, 146 Km from Calicut, 100 Km from Coimbatore, 295 Km from Bangalore, 240 Km from Kodaikanal.
Transport: Well connected by road
Facilities: Ooty has many restaurants, resorts and other staying options
Sunday services timing: 8 am to 11 am
To tour: Mon – Sat after 10 am
