Rhenius begins CMS mission in Tirunelveli

Church Mission Society missionary C. T. E. Rhenius arrived in Tirunelveli and built a large Protestant mission based at Palayamkottai.

Charles Theophilus Ewald Rhenius, a German-born missionary of the Church Mission Society, arrived in Tirunelveli on 7 July 1820. Working from Palayamkottai, he founded congregations across the Tirunelveli region, including present-day Thoothukudi district. He set up Christian settlements such as Megnanapuram, Dohnavur and Asirvathapuram, and started a training institution for catechists. He also worked on revising the Tamil Bible and wrote a Tamil grammar. His work contributed to the growth of a large Protestant community in southern Tamil Nadu.

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