Kottakkavu Mar Thoma Syro-Malabar Pilgrim Church is a
Syro-Malabar church located in
North Paravur
North Paravur. formerly known as Paravur or Parur, is a municipality and suburb in Ernakulam district in the Indian state of Kerala. It is a northern suburb of the city of Kochi and is situated around 20 km from the city centre. It is ...
. According to
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), ...
tradition, the church was established in 52 AD by
St. Thomas (Mar Thoma shleeha), one of the twelve apostles of
Jesus Christ
Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label=Hebrew/Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth (among other names and titles), was a first-century Jewish preacher and religious ...
.
It is one of the first churches in India and is called an
Apostolic Church credited to the Apostolate of
St. Thomas who preached and also started conversion of people to
Syriac Christianity
Syriac Christianity ( syr, ܡܫܝܚܝܘܬܐ ܣܘܪܝܝܬܐ / ''Mšiḥoyuṯo Suryoyto'' or ''Mšiḥāyūṯā Suryāytā'') is a distinctive branch of Eastern Christianity, whose formative theological writings and traditional liturgies are expr ...
here. It is one of the ''
Ezharappallikal'' (seven Royal churches) that he established in India; the other six churches were established at
Kodungalloor
Kodungallur (; also Cranganore, Portuguese: Cranganor; formerly known as Mahodayapuram, Shingly, Vanchi, Muchiri, Muyirikkode, and Muziris) is a historically significant town situated on the banks of river Periyar on the Malabar Coast in Th ...
,
Kokkamangalam
Kokkamangalam also known as Gokkamangalam is a village in Alappuzha district of Kerala state, south India. It is situated in between Cochin and Kumarakom and on the western shore of Vembanad Lake, 5 km east of the town of Cherthala, which ...
,
Palayoor
Palayūr, also called Palayoor and historically as Palur, is a town near Chavakkad, Thrissur district, India. It is famous for its ancient church, Palayur Mar Thoma Church, which is believed to be one of the seven major churches founded by Sa ...
,
Kollam
Kollam (), also known by its former name Quilon , is an ancient seaport and city on the Malabar Coast of India bordering the Laccadive Sea, which is a part of the Arabian Sea. It is north of the state capital Thiruvananthapuram. The city i ...
,
Niranam
Niranam is a village in Tiruvalla, Kerala, India. It was a port in ancient Kerala, on the confluence of the Manimala River, Manimala and Pamba River. It is almost 7 km from Tiruvalla SCS Junction in Pathanamthitta District of Kerala, lies t ...
, and
Nilackal.
History
Mar Sabor and Mar Proth
Mar Sabor and Mar Proth
'
Mar Sabor and Mar Proth, according to Syrian Malabar Christian tradition, were two Chaldean Assyrian bishops who landed in the port of Kollam (in present-day Kerala) by the help of a Nestorian merchant, Sabr Iso in 823 AD. The mission is said ...
came from
Persia
Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...
to Malankara in the 9th century. They built and presided over a number of churches in Malankara operating in accordance with
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 ...
. The second church of Kottakkavu was rebuilt at this time. After their death they were remembered as saints and their name was given to this church. Kottakkavu Sliva, a Persian cross engraved on granite stone by Mar Sabor and Mar Proth, is preserved in the chapel in front of the church.
MS Vatican Syriac N. iv., dated A.D. 1556, and has the following colophon in folio 278:
"By the help of our Lord we have finished this book of the Prophets; it was written on a Monday, the 18th of February, in the year 1556 of the birth of our Lord. I, priest Jacob, the disciple of Mar Jacob, and from the village of Puraur, have written this book in the holy Church of Mar Shapur and Mar Iapot iruz May the holy name of God be praised for ever. Amen!"
Old church
The existing old church, the third church, was built in 1308.
The ruined old church is again reconstructed in the 21st century.
Gallery
File:Kottakkavu Sliva founded by Mar Sabor and Mar Proth.jpg, Kottakkavu Slīva, a Persian cross founded by Mar Sabor and Mar Proth
'
Mar Sabor and Mar Proth, according to Syrian Malabar Christian tradition, were two Chaldean Assyrian bishops who landed in the port of Kollam (in present-day Kerala) by the help of a Nestorian merchant, Sabr Iso in 823 AD. The mission is said ...
, is preserved at Kottakkavu Mar Thoma Syro-Malabar Pilgrim Center
File:Kottakkavu Mar Thoma Syro-Malabar Pilgrim Church (Old) founded by St. Thomas.jpg, Kottakkavu Old Church
File:Cemetry of Kottakkavu Mar Thoma Syro-Malabar Pilgrim Church founded by St. Thomas.jpg, Cemetery of Kottakkavu Syro-Malabar Church
File:Tomb inside Kottakkavu Mar Thoma Syro-Malabar Pilgrim Church.jpg, Tomb of Francis Roz, Metropolitan of Kodungalloor Archeparchy, inside Kottakkavu Old Church
File:Kottakkavu Pond where St. Thomas baptized Jews.jpg, Kottakkavu Pond where St. Thomas baptized Jews
References
Bibliography
*
{{Churches of Kerala
Syro-Malabar Catholic church buildings
Churches in Ernakulam district
North Paravur
Eastern Catholic churches in Kerala
Ēḻarappaḷḷikaḷ