St. Thomas Orthodox Cathedral, Kadampanad, popularly known as Kadampanad Church ( കടമ്പനാട് പള്ളി ) is an ancient church of

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 ...

situated in the Central Travancore village of

Kadampanad Kadampanad grama panchayath is the southernmost part of Pathanamthitta district. It comes under Parakkode block of Adoor taluk. The panchayath shared boundaries with Erathu panchayath in the north, Ezhamkulam panchayath in the east, Kunnathur ...

, in Pathanamthitta District, Kerala, India. This Church belongs to the

Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church The Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church (MOSC) also known as the Indian Orthodox Church (IOC) or simply as the Malankara Church, is an autocephalous Oriental Orthodox church headquartered in Devalokam, near Kottayam, India. The church serve ...

under the Diocese of Adoor-Kadampanad.

History

Kadampanad church is one of the oldest churches of St. Thomas Christians in Kerala. Mar Thoma Sliha (St. Thomas), an Apostle of Jesus Christ, came to India in AD 52 and established a Christian community in Kerala. There is evidence that he established eight churches (known as Ezharapallikal). One among them was at Chayal (Nilackel), situated in the western ghats. In the beginning of the fourth century, a group of

Syrian Christians Syrian or Syriac Christians may refer to * Adherents of Christianity in Syria * Adherents of Syriac Christianity, various Christian bodies of Syriac traditions, especially: ** Syriac/Assyrian/Aramean people, Christian neo-Aramaic speakers through ...

from Chayal migrated to Kadampanad. They consecrated a church at Kadampanad in accordance with Syrian tradition and rituals in AD 325, in the name of Mar Thoma Sliha as their patron saint. As time went by, a strong Syrian Christian community flourished in the vicinity of this church. This church has been rebuilt several times. According to tradition the reconstructions took place roughly around AD 800, AD 1200, AD 1800, AD 1912 and finally in 1952. There has been a subsequent migration of Syrian Christians from Nilackel during the period of the 12th century and later at the early half of the 14th century due to demolition of Nilackel Church (supposedly due to floods). This church is considered to be the mother church of many parishes in Central Travancore. The descendants of those who settled down in Kadampanad, later migrated to places like Mavelikkara, Kayamkulam, Kollakadavu, Adoor, Kozhenchery, Kaippattoor, Sooranadu, Kallada, Koodal etc., settled there and constructed new churches. Saint Geevarghese Mar Gregorios (Parumala Thirumeni) oversaw the progress of the Church in 1895.

Marthoma III

Kadampanad Church contains the tomb of Mar Thoma III, also known as "Kadampanad Vallyappuppan". He was born in

Pakalomattom family The Pakalomattam family is an ancient Marthoma Nasrani ( Syrian Christian) family in Kerala, India. According to the Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland, the family "solely supplied bishops and archdeacons to the Church n Indiati ...

, one of the oldest families at Kadamattom. He was the third Metropolitan from Pakalomattom family and the Malankara Metropolitan of the

. He died on 21 April 1688 while he was in this church and on 22 April 1688 was buried at the altar of the St. Thomas Valiyapally, now St. Thomas Orthodox Cathedral.

Marthoman Pilgrim Center

The Cathedral was declared as the "Marthoman Pilgrim Center" on 7 March 2010 by The Malankara Metropolitan and the Catholicos of the Malankara Church His Holiness Baselios Thoma Didymos I.

Image gallery

File:Stone Writing.jpg, Script on stone slab File:St.Thomas Malankara Syrian Orthodox Cathedral, Kadampanad, Adoor, Established - AD 325.jpg

Notes

http://www.kadampanadstthomascathedral.com

References

External links

Website of Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church

www.kadampanadstthomascathedral.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Saint Thomas Orthodox Cathedral, Kadampanad Churches in Pathanamthitta district Malankara Orthodox Syrian cathedrals Cathedrals in Kerala Churches completed in 1952 20th-century churches in India 20th-century Oriental Orthodox church buildings