St. Mary’s Church was built 321 years ago in 1680 and is the oldest Protest Church in India and an important landmark in the history of Christian India. It is supposed to be not only the oldest place of worship built by the English in India, but is also believed to be the oldest building made by the British still in use. Easter Monday (April 1, 1678) saw the foundation of this Church "begun to be laid and it was decided to call this shrine St. Mary’s. The altar piece in the Church is a large painting of the Last Supper.

Controversy continues to rage about whether the painting can be attributed to Raphael (1483-1520). One might have to bow down to critics and state that this painting is by an unknown artist. But it is important to note here that in Europe, too, authorities on Italian painting aver that after 1516, four years prior to his death, most of Raphael’s paintings were not actually done by him but work on them was carried out under his supervision.

After he painted the Sistine Madonna (for the Vatican Chapel) acclaimed the greatest altar piece of all time, Raphael was so overwhelmed by requests for Biblical paintings that he had to take recourse to pupils and assistants. In the Vatican Loggia itself, the so-called Bible of Raphael, many hands can be traced, mostly of his pupils, Giulio Romano, Gian Francisco Penni and Giaquanni Daudinie. Authorities consider only the last painting of Raphael, a rendering of the Transfiguration of Christ interrupted by his death at an early age of 37, to be solely his effort after 1516. The paining at the Church in Chennai, too, can belong to the 1516-20 era, when the great master, a contemporary of Leonardo da Vinci, supervised his numerous pupils, occasionally painting portions himself. According to some the condition of the painting is quite new and as such it does not warrant the assumption of any great antiquity. But this theory does not take into account the fact that the picture had been restored a 150 years ago by experts at renovation. At any rate the technique of the painting proves that it has been done by an old master.

It came to the Chennai Church 250 years ago as part of the spoils of the plundering of Pondicherry by the British. In 1746, when the French captured Madras, they had moved the church silver and other valuables to the French Church at Pondicherry, 100 miles away. Later, in 1761, when the British captured Pondicherry, the painting was one of the items removed from the church at Pondicherry. Josias Du Pre was the commissioner in charge of all the captured treasure at Pondicherry and had earlier been the church warden at St. Mary’s Church in 1758. It is known that he had sent several pictures from Pondicherry to the Government at Madras and it is probable that this altar piece was among them.

The picture is not mentioned in the church records until 1782, when the church was handed over to civil authorities. Later on it was kept over the chancel arch, where it remained for 100 years till it was restored to its original position above the altar by the then Rector, Rev. C.H. Malden, in 1902. Today it is the oldest representation in India of the great Biblical scene.

Compared to the above painting we know the complete history of the 180-year-old painting of the Last Supper at St. James Church at Calcutta. Johann Zoffany (1733-1810) was one of the famous British painters of the 18th century. Born of German parents at Regensburg, Germany, he studied in Rome and made his reputation in portrait painting.

But in 1783, he fell out of favour British royal family when he painted a picture of the Queen (when prior to her marriage, she was known as the Princess of Mecklenburg) in close proximity with one of her supposed lovers. This disfavour at the royal court caused his rich patrons to forsake him and Zoffany decided to leave for India, where he was told that the Indian rajas and nawabs would pay lavishly for oil paintings of their families, such paintings being rare in India. William Hodges R.A. who had been to India earlier told him of lakhs of rupees awaiting an artist in oil paintings in the East Zoffany after coming to India, made huge fortunes at the courts of Indian rulers. By 1787, he was residing at Calcutta and his name is found in an almanac of the year under the heading "Artist and portrait painter". In any case, he is supposed to be the greatest European artist who came to India in those days. The Church of St. James was started in 1784, and was consecrated three years later. Zoffany, than residing in Colcutta, decided to present a painting of the Last Supper to the Church. The Calcutta Gazette for April 12, 1787, wrote, "We hear that Mr Zoffany is employed in painting a large Biblical picture, The Last Supper. He has already made considerable progress in the work, which promises to equal any production, which has yet appeared from the brush of this able artist and with that spirit of liberality for which, he has ever been distinguished, we understand that he means to present it to the public as an altar piece for new church".

The new church accepted the gift. Although the church authorities wanted to reward the artist for his work, they did not have any funds. In any case, had Zoffany wanted money, it would not have been less than Rs 13,000 or British pound 1,000, whereas the total cost of the church was only about Rs 50,000, including Rs 36,000 raised through a lottery. As Zoffany was not a very famous artist, the value of the painting today would be about a million rupees. But when the painting was hung over the high altar, the Calcutta society was shocked for Zoffany, like his illustrious predecessor Leonardo da Vinci, had painted the faces of Jesus, St. John and other apostles in the likeness of Calcutta notables. The original for Jesus was a Greek Portenio, a good samaritan of Calcutta. The police magistrate W.C. Blaquire, served as a model for St. John. Judas Iscariot was recognised by some as a Colcutta auctioneer by name Tulloch, while others saw in him James Paul, the English Resident at the Royal Court of Oudh.

Strangely enough, just like the traitor Judas, Paul committed suicide few years later. The other apostles resembled various other notables of Calcutta society. Zoffany was not at all worried about the commotion the picture caused. Today this painting is the most authenticated painting of the Biblical episode in India.