St Paul’s Institute of Theology is an offshoot of St Paul’s Seminary which was founded on 8 June 1921 by the Most Rev. Dr. Augustine Faisandier S.J., the then Bishop of Tiruchirappalli, with the view of forming candidates to priesthood for the Diocese of Tiruchirappalli, which then comprised the territory of the present-day Dioceses of Tiruchirappalli, Thoothukudi, Madurai, Palayamkottai, Sivagangai, and Dindigul.

Prior to 1921, the seminarians for the Diocese of Tiruchirappalli were sent to the seminaries in Mangaluru (India) and Kandy (Sri Lanka). But vocations had gradually increased and the additional places needed were not available in the above-mentioned seminaries.

The Apostolic Letter of Pope Benedict XV, Maximum Illud (1919), had highlighted the need for the formation of truly indigenous clergy in the mission territories. It became clear that the above-mentioned seminaries, situated in linguistically and socio-culturally different areas, could not provide adequate formation for priestly ministry in Tamil Nadu.

The Seminary opened with 24 students on 8 June 1921 at Pandamangalam village in a house owned by St. Joseph’s College, Tiruchirappalli. It was staffed by the Jesuits of the Madurai Mission and later shifted to its present site near the Head Post Office, Tiruchirappalli.

In 1938, it became the Provincial Seminary for the Archdiocese of Madurai and its suffragan Dioceses. Over time, it began admitting students from across Tamil Nadu, other parts of India, Sri Lanka, and various religious congregations.

On 4 December 1975, the theology section was affiliated to the Pontifical Urban University, Rome, enabling students to obtain a Baccalaureate in Theology.

From 1977, the Seminary began publishing Marai Aruvi, a Tamil theological quarterly, followed by other publications like Aruvi and Vaiharai.

On 8 February 1997, the academic section was promoted as an Institute of Theology and aggregated to the Pontifical Urban University. Later, in 2009, it was aggregated to St. Peter’s Pontifical Institute, Bangalore.

From June 2018 onwards, the Philosophate of Christ Hall Seminary was amalgamated with St. Paul’s Institute of Theology, integrating philosophy and theology studies under one institution.

Beyond its Centenary, the Seminary has formed over 2,079 priests, of whom 28 have become Bishops. Many men and women religious, as well as lay people, have passed through its portals. In 2022, a two-year online Diploma in Theology was introduced to extend theological education beyond the campus.

With its centennial legacy, the process has been initiated to officially upgrade St. Paul’s Institute of Theology into a Faculty of Theology.