Gīwargīs of the Cross ( syr, ܓܝܼܘܲܪܓܝܼܣ ܕܨܠܝܒܐ, Gīvargīs d'slīva), also spelled Geevarghese of Cross and George of Cross, was an
archdeacon
An archdeacon is a senior clergy position in the Church of the East, Chaldean Catholic Church, Syriac Orthodox Church, Anglican Communion, St Thomas Christians, Eastern Orthodox churches and some other Christian denominations, above that o ...
(''arkkadyakon'') and leader of the
Saint Thomas Christian
The Saint Thomas Christians, also called Syrian Christians of India, ''Marthoma Suriyani Nasrani'', ''Malankara Nasrani'', or ''Nasrani Mappila'', are an ethno-religious community of Indian Christians in the state of Kerala (Malabar region), ...
community of
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
. He was the son of the elder brother of
Giwargis of Christ. By the last year of Bishop
Mar Abraham, he became the Archdeacon. After the Bishop's death in 1597, he led the Indian Church. He led the church amidst Portuguese intervention. The
Synod of Diamper
The Synod of Diamper (Udayamperoor Synod) ( mal, ഉദയംപേരൂർ സൂനഹദോസ്, Udayampērūṟ Sūnahadōs), held at Udayamperoor (known as Diamper in non-vernacular sources) in June 1599, was a diocesan synod, or cou ...
(1599) was held during his time. In 1601,
Francis Ros
Dom Francisco Ros, S.J (1559–1624) was the first Latin Archbishop of Archdiocese of Angamaly-Cranganore, the See of Saint Thomas Christians in the early modern Malabar in South India.
Introduction
Ros was a Catalan Jesuit who arrived ...
became Bishop, appointed by the
Archbishop of Goa
The Roman Catholic Metropolitan Archdiocese of Goa and Daman ( la, Archidioecesis Goanae et Damanensis, gom, Gõy ani Damanv Mha-Dhormprant, pt, Arquidiocese de Goa e Damão) encompasses the Goa state and the Damaon territory in the Konkan r ...
,
Aleixo de Menezes
Archbishop Aleixo de Menezes or Alexeu de Jesu de Meneses (25 January 1559 – 3 May 1617) was Roman Catholic Archbishop of Goa, Archbishop of Braga, Portugal, and Viceroy of Portugal during the Philippine Dynasty.
Biographical sketch
Aleixo was ...
. In the beginning there was cordiality, but the deliberate downgrading of
Angamaly
Angamaly (''Aṅkamāli''), , Malayalam : അങ്കമാലി Situated about north of the city centre, the town lies at the intersection of Main Central Road (MC Road) and National Highway 544. MC Road, which starts from Thiruvananthapu ...
and the inertia of Bishop Ros frustrated him. When the Archdeacon protested, Ros excommunicated him. In 1615, the Bishop and Archdeacon reconciled each other, but again fell out later. The next Bishop,
Etienne de Brito, also did not recognize the Archdeacon's ecclesiastical status. He led the church in a period of severe stress and turmoil, and held it together. After his time and his brother's time the root family of Pakalomattam became heirless. The only son shifted residence to Alappatt house. He is believed to have been buried in the forefront of Pakalomattam Thravadu (Kuravilangadu).
Synod of Diamper
In 1597, Mar Abraham, the last metropolitan archbishop appointed by the Chaldean Patriarch, died. His Archdeacon, Givargis (of the Cross) according to the custom and by virtue of appointment of Mar Abraham, took up the administration of the Archdiocese of Angamaly. Archbishop Menezes hastened to nominate Fr. Francis Ros S.J. as administrator. At last, since the Archdeacon Givargis was well accepted by the people, Menezes had unwillingly reversed his decision and confirmed the Archdeacon as administrator. They then called together an assembly of the
Saint Thomas Christians
The Saint Thomas Christians, also called Syrian Christians of India, ''Marthoma Suriyani Nasrani'', ''Malankara Nasrani'', or ''Nasrani Mappila'', are an ethno-religious
An ethnoreligious group (or an ethno-religious group) is a grouping of ...
at Angamaly, in which a solemn oath was taken that they would act only according to the wishes of the Archdeacon, and that if the Pope sent them as their Bishop, not their Archdeacon, but a Latin, that they would plead their case with Rome.
[CHAI, Volume II, History of Christianity in India p. 70-75]
Menezes undertook a visit to all the churches of the Saint Thomas Christians in February 1599, which lasted for a few months and slowly earned the good will of the people. After having won over a considerable number of people and priests, Menezes threatened to depose Archdeacon Givargis and appoint in his place Thomas Kurian, another nephew of the former Archdeacon whose claims had been ignored in 1593. In order to prevent a division, Archdeacon Givargis (of the Cross) yielded to the demands of Menezes.
See also
*
India (East Syriac Ecclesiastical Province)
Metropolitanate of India (Syriac: ''Beth Hindaye'') was an East Syriac ecclesiastical province of the Church of the East, at least nominally, from the seventh to the sixteenth century. The Malabar region (Kerala) of India had long been home to a t ...
*
Saint Thomas Christians
The Saint Thomas Christians, also called Syrian Christians of India, ''Marthoma Suriyani Nasrani'', ''Malankara Nasrani'', or ''Nasrani Mappila'', are an ethno-religious
An ethnoreligious group (or an ethno-religious group) is a grouping of ...
*
Christianity in India
Christianity is India's third-largest religion with about 27.8 million adherents, making up 2.3 percent of the population as of the 2011 census. The written records of the Saint Thomas Christians state that Christianity was introduced to th ...
*
Church of the East
The Church of the East ( syc, ܥܕܬܐ ܕܡܕܢܚܐ, ''ʿĒḏtā d-Maḏenḥā'') or the East Syriac Church, also called the Church of Seleucia-Ctesiphon, the Persian Church, the Assyrian Church, the Babylonian Church or the Nestorian C ...
*
Mar Abraham
*
Alangad
Alangad is a village located in Paravur Taluk of Ernakulam District in the Indian state of Kerala. It lies almost in the middle of North Paravur and Aluva. The Kochi city is 15 km away from Alangad.
Etymology
The name Alangad has been der ...
*
Geevarghese of Christ
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:George of the Cross
Saint Thomas Christians
Archdeacons
16th-century Christians
Year of birth unknown
Year of death unknown