Schwartz Church, Thanjavur

Schwartz Church in Thanjavur was built in 1779 by the Danish missionary Christian Friedrich Schwarz, who held regular services here from April 1780. Architecturally it is plain, with little to set it apart, and in its early days it was known as the big church. A note records that Major Stevens laid a foundation stone nine feet below ground.

The church's chief interest is its sculpture. John Flaxman carved a white marble work bearing images of Schwarz and the Thanjavur Maratha king Serfoji II in 1807, at the king's request, and the court poet Vedanayagam Sastriar wrote that it was installed in 1811. A sculpture in the precincts shows Schwarz on his deathbed, with Serfoji and the missionary Guericke beside him. The house where Schwarz lived, north-west of the church, is now a school.