History of the Church of Our Lady of Rosary
Karumathampatti

History says that as early as 1640, the church of Karumathampatti, dedicated to Our Lady of Holy Rosary, became a place of pilgrimage. There were people of different communities residing in the area of Karumathampatti. Chettiars, also known as Shedders, were weavers and cloth merchants by profession. Many worked on hand looms at home. They formed an important part of the Catholic Community of the Diocese. Many Shedders embraced Christianity as early as 1662 in the Karumathampatti mission. French missionaries Fr. Noguera and Fr. Pereira were in charge of the Karumathampatti district in 1684. It was beween the year 1676 - 1783. St. John de Britto visited Karumathampatti on 3 occasions. In 1710 Karumathampatti became a residence of that mission.

The church was destroyed by the soldiers of the Mysore Rajah in 1684, but was rebuilt soon after. The church was again destroyed in 1784 during the persecution of Tipu Sultan. In 1803 Fr. Dubois MEP obtained from the British Government not only the site of the old church, but also a large plot of land around it and made arrangements for the construction of a new church. Fr. Gnanapragasam, an Indian Priest, built it according to the plan and instruction of Fr.Dubois MEP. The church steeple was erected by Fr. Pacreau MEP in 1840. In 1995, as the church was not sufficient for the pilgrims, an extension was made by Fr. Mudiappan, a diocesan priest and it was consecrated. Since the number of pilgrims increased there was a necessity for a new church and in 2017 a new church was built by Fr. R. D. E. Jerome, the present Rector and was consecrated by 5 Bishops in the presence of the local Bishop Most Rev. Dr. L. Thomas Aquinas on 29^th September 2017.