Diocese of Tirunelveli of the Church of South India



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Location
CountryIndia
Ecclesiastical provinceChurch of South India
Statistics
Congregations770 in 2025
Members1.80,202 in 2025
Information
Established1859
CathedralHoly Trinity Cathedral, Palayamkottai
LanguageTamil, English, Malayalam
Current leadership
BishopRt. Rev. A.R.G.S.T. Barnabas
Map

CSI Tirunelveli Diocese
Website
www.csitirunelveli.org

The Diocese of Tirunelveli is one among the 25 dioceses of the Church of South India (CSI), a United Protestant denomination. It is based at Tirunelveli, in the state of Tamil Nadu, southern India. This is the second ever diocese to be formed in South India.

As of 2025, the diocese has 770 churches, 161 pastors, 9 deacons and a membership of 1,80, 202; it also runs 342 schools and fifteen colleges and hospitals. Holy Trinity Cathedral, at Palayamkottai is the Cathedral of Tirunelveli Diocese. The churches were established by the Church Missionary Society (CMS) missionaries and the Society for Propagating the Gospel (SPG) missionaries. In the year of 1919 Tinnevely Diocese Trust Association (TDTA) was formed by uniting both mission and also with Baptists and Presbyterians churches in the neighbourhood.