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Photo: Mukulfaiz, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Consecrated in 1701, it is the oldest Protestant Church in India. Prominent with its combination of colonial and Indian architectural features, its construction together with the fortification of the town marked the moving out and spreading of the Danish population into the surrounding settlement. The structure went through many reconstructions before it reached its present form.
Zion Church is one of the oldest churches in Tharangambadi (Tranquebar), a Danish settlement in Mayiladuthurai district in the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is in the premises of Fort Dansborg, built with the help of Danish king Christian IV in an agreement with Danish Admiral Ove Gjedde in 1717 and acted as the base for Danish settlement in the region during the early 17th century. The Church was built in 1717 Rev Bartholomew zigenbalg by A.D by Rev. Bartholomaus Ziegenbalg and has records from the 18th and 19th centuries. He is believed to be the first Protestant missionary in India and the Church is believed to be the first Protestant Church in India.
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Tharangambadi Maritime Museum is housed in the former residence of the Danish Commander. The 18th-century bungalow. It was restored by the Danish Tranquebar Association. It now houses the Tranquebar Maritime Museum. The museum contains a remains of an old ship along with boats and other maritime artifacts. Also, there is a section dedicated to marine creatures. A golden statue of Ziegenbalg stands at the entrance of the museum. The statue was put up in 2006 to commemorate the tercentenary of his landing. Plaques both in English and Tamil mention the achievements of Ziegenbalg.
The colonial bungalow once served as the residence of the Governor of Tranquebar. It overlooks the sprawling open space known as the parade ground. The Bungalow has been restored and there are plans to put it into some adoptive reuse.
The New Jerusalem Church was built in 1718 by the German missionary Bartholomäus Ziegenbalg. It replaced the old Jerusalem Church which proved too small for the growing local Christian population. The church has a cross-like floor plan. The Danish coat of arms is inscribed on the top of the gateway leading to the interiors of the church. The interior contains several memorial plaques and even a few graves including that of Ziegenbalg. The church is housed in a large compound which also has several graves.
One of the most stately buildings of colonial Tranquebar it once served as the residence of the Danish Governor. It is named after Johannes Rehling and dates back to the first half of the 18th century. The building has an elegantly decorated white colonnaded facade giving it an elegant look.
Small cemetery that holds the whitewashed graves of several Danish colonial officials and tradesmen. Don't expect a Danish style cemetery as found in Copenhagen. It is a small compound with a locked gate and several headstones standing forlornly in a barren patch of land.
Ziegenbalg Press
The press where Ziegenbalg printed his first Tamil Bible still stands and is located inside a local school. The printing press is displayed along with the printed copy of the first Tamil Bible. The handwritten Tamil Bible by Ziegenbalg is also on display. The press is still functional and one can gets his name printed in Tamil by using the blocks made by Ziegenbalg.