New Jerusalem Church

New Jerusalem Church is a historic Protestant church located on King Street in Tharangambadi (Tranquebar), Tamil Nadu. Built in 1718 by German missionary Bartholomäus Ziegenbalg under the Danish Tranquebar Mission, it is considered the first Protestant church in India. The church features Danish colonial architecture with vaulted ceilings and historic tombstones, and remains an active place of worship under the Tamil Evangelical Lutheran Church, attracting heritage and religious visitors.

Visitors can expect a Danish colonial-era church building with simple whitewashed exterior, vaulted interior, wooden pews, altar, and historic tombstones including that of Bartholomäus Ziegenbalg. The church is set on King Street near the former Danish settlement area, close to other colonial buildings. Visitors can explore the prayer hall, view memorial plaques and gravestones, observe ongoing church services, and experience a quiet heritage atmosphere within the small coastal town of Tharangambadi.

Built in 1718 by Bartholomäus Ziegenbalg, the first Protestant missionary to India, under the patronage of King Frederick IV of Denmark. Established as part of the Danish Tranquebar Mission (Danish-Halle Mission), it is regarded as the first Protestant church built in India. The church was constructed to serve the growing Tamil Lutheran congregation and houses the remains of Ziegenbalg (died 1719) and other early missionaries. It reflects early 18th-century Danish colonial and missionary history on the Coromandel Coast.

The church remains an active congregation under the Tamil Evangelical Lutheran Church (TELC) and represents the beginning of Protestant Christianity in India. It is an important heritage landmark of the former Danish colony of Tranquebar, illustrating Indo-Danish cultural exchange, early Tamil printing and translation work by Ziegenbalg, and continuity of Lutheran worship traditions in Tamil Nadu.