PONDICHÉRY, ARCHDIOCESE OF. — In the colony of P., founded by French merchants in 1674, the Capuchins from Madras settled in 1677, establishing missionary stations within the French colonial territory, which expanded during the 18th century.
In 1686, some French Jesuits expelled from Siam arrived, later giving rise to the flourishing mission of Carnatic. From 1689, the Paris Foreign Missions also established themselves in P., transferring their general seminary to Virampatnam near P. in 1769. After the suppression of the Society of Jesus in 1773, their Carnatic mission passed to the Paris Foreign Missions in 1776, and simultaneously the Superior of the Capuchins was appointed Apostolic Prefect for Europeans in the French colony. Due to respect for the bishop of São Tomé of Meliapore, no separate Apostolic Vicariate was created, and the Superior of the Paris Foreign Missions, though a bishop, bore the title of “Superior missionis.” In 1778, the jurisdiction of this Superior was extended to the former Jesuit missions of Madura and Tanjore, and in 1785 also to those of Mysore. On July 8, 1836, the mission of the Paris Seminary was erected as an Apostolic Vicariate under the name of Coromandel Coast, except for Madura, which was entrusted again to the Jesuits as the Apostolic Vicariate of Madura. The Capuchin prefecture for Europeans in P. had already passed to the Congregation of the Holy Spirit in 1828 and was suppressed only in 1886 with the establishment of the hierarchy. On April 3, 1850, the Apostolic Vicariate of the Coromandel Coast was divided into three vicariates: Pondichéry, Coimbatore, and Mysore. In 1884, the Apostolic Vicariate of Pondichéry was declared exempt from the jurisdiction of Goa, and on September 1, 1886, it was
elevated to an archdiocese and the following year to a metropolitan see. In 1889, the southern part of its territory was used to form the diocese of Kumbakonam. In 1930, the civil district of Salem was detached to create the diocese of Salem.
It has an area of 15,000 sq. km. The population numbers 3 million, of whom 152,000 are Catholics, 11,000 Protestants, 2,655,000 pagans, and 100,000 Muslims. The diocesan territory is divided into 45 districts or rural vicariates, 48 parishes, 2 primary stations, and 724 secondary ones. There are 94 churches and 200 chapels. The Indian priests number 66, while foreign priests (all from the Paris Foreign Missions Society) number 44. Also working as teachers are 17 Brothers of St. Gabriel of Montfort, nearly all indigenous. Assisting the missionary work are 328 sisters. There are 188 elementary schools, 7 secondary, 3 professional, 2 normal, and 1 catechetical. Numerous are the charitable works (13 orphanages, 3 shelters, 2 hospitals, 4 workshops). The archdiocese also owns a printing press where some periodicals are published. The minor seminary has about 40 students; in the major seminary of Bangalore, 25 young men are preparing for the priesthood. Flourishing in all parishes of the archdiocese are confraternities, pious associations, and Catholic Action groups.