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{{Short description|Roman Catholic Church in Tamil Nadu, India}}
{{Infobox church
| name = Sacred Heart Church
| other name =
| coordinates = {{coord|12.6276246 | 77.7315573 |display=inline,title}}
| fullname =
| native_name = திரு இருதய ஆண்டவர் ஆலயம்
| native_name_lang = ta
| image = Sacred Heart Church, Madagondapalli.jpg
| caption = Front view of this church

| location = [[Madagondapalli | Mathagondapalli]], [[Thally]], [[Krishnagiri district | Krishnagiri]], [[Tamil Nadu]]
| country = [[India]]

| denomination = [[Catholic Church|Catholic]]
| religious order = [[Society of Jesus|Jesuit]]
| cult = [[Catholic devotions]]
| founded date = 1930
| founder = Fr. Billyard and Fr. Issac
| membership = 350 Families

| status = [[Parish church]]
| functional status = Active
| former name =
| dedication = Jesus Christ
| architectural type = [[Church (building)|Church]]
| style = Modern Architecture
| groundbreaking = 1975
| completed date = 1976

| parish = [[Madagondapalli | Mathagondapalli]]
| deanery = [[Denkanikottai]]
| archdiocese = [[Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Pondicherry and Cuddalore|Pondicherry and Cuddalore]]
| diocese = [[Roman Catholic Diocese of Dharmapuri|Dharmapuri]]
| episcopalarea = [[Catholic Bishops' Conference of India|TNBC]]
| archbishop = [[Francis Kalist]]
| bishop = Lawrence Pius Dorairaj
| priest = Fr. Vijay Amirtharaj
}}

'''Sacred Heart Church, Madagondapall''', is one of the earliest [[Catholic Church|Catholic]] churches within the [[Roman Catholic Diocese of Dharmapuri |Dharmapuri Diocese]], boasting a {{Age|1883|range=no}}-year legacy. For over {{Age|1930|range=no}} years, it has served as a parish church, offering a sacred space for Catholics to gather in worship.

== History ==
After the invasion of [[Tipu Sultan]] in the 1780s, Catholic settlements disappeared in the [[Hosur]] and [[Denkanikotta]] areas. Additionally, the people in Kappinagathi and Edapalli, near [[Kelamangalam]], also left out of Tippu Sultan's Mysore region.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book |last=Wenger |first=Estefania |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rQQ1DgAAQBAJ&q=1792+campaign+of+Tipu&pg=PT11 |title=Tipu Sultan: A Biography |date=1 March 2017 |publisher=Vij Books India Pvt Ltd |isbn=978-93-86367-44-0 |language=en}}</ref>

==Madagondapalli Settlement==
The establishment of the [[Madagondapalli]] (Madagondanahalli) catholic settlement is recorded by Fr. M.S Joseph, who stated that it took place around 1794 during the decline of Tippu Sultan.<ref name=Naravane>{{Cite book |last=Naravane |first=M. S. |title=Battles of the Honourable East India Company: Making of the Raj |place=New Delhi |publisher=A.P.H. Publishing Corporation |year=2014 |isbn=978-81-313-0034-3 |pages=172–181}}</ref> In 1799, Paris Missionarian Fr. Abe Dubey, a historian, mentioned this place when he was traveling towards Mysore. Historian Adrien Launay, in his book, mentioned that in the 1830s, [[Étienne-Louis Charbonnaux | Vicar. Charbonnaux]] assigned Fr. Antony to take charge of the Srirangapatnam parish. On his way to [[Srirangapatna | Mysore - Srirangapitina]] from [[Puducherry (city)|Pondicherry]], Fr. Antony observed and documented how the Catholics of Hosur and Denkanikotta had relocated and settled in Palacode and Madagondapalli. They continued their religious practices with the help of often visiting missionaries from [[Mathigiri]].

In 1845, the [[Roman Catholic Diocese of Mysore | Apostolic Vicariate of Mysore]] was formed as a [[suffragan]] of the [[Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Pondicherry and Cuddalore | Pondicherry Apostolic Vicariate]],<ref>{{Cite web |title=Archdiocese Official Website |url=http://www.archdiocesepondicherry.com/History_%20Archdiocese_1.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110707155219/http://www.archdiocesepondicherry.com/History_%20Archdiocese_1.html |archive-date=7 July 2011 |access-date=30 January 2011}}</ref> and during that time, [[Bangalore]], Hosur, and Denkanikotai came under the administration of Mysore. After being consecrated as the First Bishop of Mysore in Pondicherry, Bishop Charbonnaux<ref>Seminary, grav., Adrien Launay (1898) ''Histoire des missions de l’Inde'', v, p. lv.</ref> visited Madagondapalli on his way to [[Mysore]]. At that time, Madagondapalli was under the Bangalore [[Deanery]].

Due to a lack of priests in the Bangalore deanery for some years, Madagondapalli came under the charge of [[Kovilur, Dharamapuri | Kovilur]] Church. In the 1840s, Fr. Pierre Gouyon, a [[St. Francis Xavier Church, Kovilur|Kovilur priest]], was also assigned to take charge of Rayakottai, Edappally, Mathigiri, Madagondapalli, [[Dasarapalli]], and Denkanikottai areas. Later, Mysore missionaries from [[Begur, Bangalore | Begur]], [[Anekal]], and Mathigiri took care of Madagondapalli.

==Parish==
Until 1930, Madagondapalli remained under the jurisdiction of the Mysore Diocese as a substation of Mathigiri. It then came under the administration of the newly formed Diocese of Salem and became a [[Parish (Catholic Church) | parish church]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Official Website Salem Diocese |url=https://salemdiocese.org/history/ |access-date=30 January 2022}}</ref> In September 1930, Fr. Billyard resided in Madagondapalli and became the first parish priest of Madagondapalli Church. During that time, the Madagondapalli parish extended its area to include the present Denkanikottai vicar, encompassing regions from [[Averipally, Thally | Thally-Avaripalli]] to [[Rayakottai]].

When the Salem Diocese was formed in 1930, Bishop Henry Prunier<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://salemdiocese.org/|title= Abount Bishop H.A. Prunier |access-date=30 March 2022}}</ref> requested Fr. Thalachira to work for the Salem Diocese. Later, in 1954, he became the parish priest of Madagondapalli. On December 24, 1960, he died and was buried here. His tomb is located in front of this church.

The present church was built during the tenure of Fr. Sr. Issac; it opened in 1976.

For many decades, [[Gopasandiram, Thally | Gopasandiram]]<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.brandbharat.com/english/tamil_nadu/districts/Krishnagiri/Krishnagiri_THALLY_GOPASANDIRAM.html|title= Village Gopasandiram |access-date=30 June 2022}}</ref> was a substation of this parish. In 1937, a small chapel was built for Gopasandiram Catholic, and on January 14, 2014, a new church was constructed in the name of [[Our Lady Of Queen Of Heaven Church, Gopasandiram | Vinnarasi Annai Church]], turning Gopasandiram into a Quazi parish.

==FSM Sisters==

In 1937, in response to an invitation from Most Rev. Henry Prunier, the then-Bishop of Salem, [[Franciscan Servants of Mary]] Sisters started a medical service with a small dispensary in Madagondapalli. In 1968, [[Venmani S. Selvanather | Bishop Selvanather]] of Salem offered land to the sisters, who then built Lordus Hospital in 1971. In 1957, the sisters also began a primary school in the town, and in 1987, a new high school was established,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Madhakondapalli FSM Sisters history |url=https://fsmsisters.org.in/bangalore/our-ladys-convent/ |access-date=30 June 2022}}</ref> which has now become a higher secondary school. They continue to serve the church and the local society.

==See also==
[[Our Lady Of Queen Of Heaven Church, Gopasandiram]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{Roman Catholic Diocese of Dharmapuri}}

[[Category:Roman Catholic church buildings in Tamil Nadu]]
[[Category:Churches in Krishnagiri district]]
[[Category:Roman Catholic church buildings in the Diocese of Dharmapuri]]

Sacred Heart Church, Madagondapalli - Revision history

RockyHerz477: Created new entry!