Kottoor Church or Kottoor St. George Orthodox Syrian Church is an ancient chapel of Kolenchery Church. It is situated 0.5 km south of Kolenchery town, towards Karukappilly road and Muvattupuzha river. This Church is considered as the oldest of all structures founded in

Kerala Kerala ( ; ) is a state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile regions of Cochin, Malabar, South ...

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 ...

after

Saint George Saint George (Greek: Γεώργιος (Geórgios), Latin: Georgius, Arabic: القديس جرجس; died 23 April 303), also George of Lydda, was a Christian who is venerated as a saint in Christianity. According to tradition he was a soldier ...

. Kottoor church is believed to be the second oldest Christian structure constructed in

Ernakulam District Ernakulam, ; ISO: ''Eṟaṇākuḷaṁ'', in Malayalam: എറണാകുളം), is one of the 14 districts in the Indian state of Kerala, that takes its name from the eponymous city division in Kochi. It is situated in the central part o ...

after Kottakavu Church at Paravoor. The Kottoor Church is believed to be founded in 5th century AD as a chapel of Pallippuram Church near

Cherthala Cherthala, , (formerly Shertalai, Shertallai or Shertallay) is a Municipal town and a Taluk located at National highway 66 in the district of Alappuzha, in the state of Kerala, India. Cherthala is the satellite town and industrial hub of Ala ...

in the initial periods. From there, it was transferred as a chapel of

Piravom Church St. Mary's Orthodox Syrian Cathedral, Piravom, also known as Piravom Valiyapally, is a prominent church that belongs to the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church. The church stands on a hilltop on the eastern bank of the Muvattupuzha river at Pi ...

at its establishment. In the 9th Century AD, when the famous

Kadamattom Church Kadamattom Church is an ancient Malankara jacobite syrian orthodox Church, located in Kadamattom near Kolenchery, in Ernakulam district, Kerala History The church is believed to have been established in the 9th century by Mar Sabor. Location ...

was established nearby, Kottoor Church became its chapel. At last, when the Kolenchery Church was constructed in the 6th Century AD, Kottoor Church became its part as a chapel. The church is governed according to the 1934 constitution of Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church, and is part of the Kandanad West diocese of the church. A metropolitan conducted Holy mass in the Kottoor church after a long gap of 90 years on 23 July 2017, after a recent (3 July 2017) verdict of Honourable Supreme court of India, ending the dispute that lasted past 100 years in the parent Kolenchery church.

Recent history of Kottoor Pally

During the days of

Marthoma Church The Malankara Mar Thoma Syrian Church, often shortened to Mar Thoma Church, and known also as the Reformed Syrian ChurchS. N. Sadasivan. A Social History of India'. APH Publishing; 2000. . p. 442. and the Mar Thoma Syrian Church of Malabar ...

-Orthodox split tensions in the 19th century, Kottoor Pally stood as a strong hold of the Orthodox Christians in the Kolenchery area. At that time, the parish church at Kolenchery was in the occupation of Marthoma faction. After the tensions with

got over, Catholicos

Baselios Paulose I Baselios Paulose I or ''Murimattathil Bava'' (17 January 1836 in Kolenchery, India – 2 May 1913) was the first Catholicos of the East after its reinstatement in India. The First Catholicos of the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church was in power o ...

took charge of reconstruction of Kottoor Church. Many important religious leaders like

Pulikkottil Joseph Mar Dionysious II Pulikkottil Joseph Mar Dionysious II (Mar Dionysious V) (12 November 1833 – 11 July 1909) was the Malankara Metropolitan of the Malankara Church, was born into the family of Pulikkottil (Kunnamkulam). He was the 14th Malankara Metropolitan ...

, Yuyakim Mar Koorilos, Mar Oudisho of

Chaldean Syrian Church The Chaldean Syrian Church of India ( Classical Syriac: ܥܕܬܐ ܕܡܕܢܚܐ ܕܐܬܘܖ̈ܝܐ; Malayalam: / ''Kaldaya Suriyani Sabha'') is an Eastern Christian denomination, based in Thrissur, in India. It is organized as a metropolitan provi ...

also had connections with Kottoor Church.

Other Kottoors

Kottoor is a well known Hindu family name in Kidangayam ward at village Nooranad in Alappuzha District. This family's contribution to the traditional Ayurveda treatment and social work is significant. The new generation from the family consists of known social activists, poetress, highly successful professionals, senior Government officers, and business people. Kottoor is in the vicinity of Vadakadathukavu Temple which has an inheritance with the "Pazoor mana". *

Knanaya The Knānāya, (from Syriac: ''Knā'nāya'' (Canaanite)) also known as the Southists or Tekkumbhagar, are an endogamous ethnic group found among the Saint Thomas Christian community of Kerala, India. They are differentiated from another part of t ...

Christian family, in Kottayam District.

References

Official website of St. Peter's and St. Paul's Orthodox Church, Kolenchery
{{Churches of Kerala Churches in Ernakulam district Malankara Orthodox Syrian church buildings