Nilakkal St.Thomas Ecumenical Church is one of the earliest Christian church 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 ...

. This church is one among the '' Ezharappallikal'' (seven and a half churches) believed to be established in 54 AD by St. Thomas, one of the twelve apostles of Jesus Christ. Nilakkal, also known as Chayal is a forest area, but once it was a place of great importance carried on trade with Madhura and Thirunelveli. Even though there is no historical evidence of the missionary work of St.Thomas in Nilackal, some assumptions of St. Thomas's establishment of a church in this place is written in old metal plates and other historian writings. Since the old church is in a dilapidated stage, a new church has been constructed in a site not far from it. The new church is at

Angamoozhy Angamoozhy is a village in Pathanamthitta district in the Indian state of Kerala. Angamoozhy is located near the Kakkad power station and the Sabarimala temple. Geographically Angamoozhy is High-range area. Economy Angamoozhy is mainly a plan ...

, 3 kilometers away from

Nilakkal Nilakkal (), also spelled Nilackal, or formerly Chayal, is a remote ghat region located in the Goodrical range of Ranni forest division in Pathanamthitta District in the Indian state of Kerala.Nearest Railway Station Is Thiruvalla,Located At A D ...

, almost 52 kilometres east to Ranni in

Pathanamthitta Pathanamthitta (), is a municipality situated in the Central Travancore region in the state of Kerala, India, spread over an area of 23.50 km2. It is the administrative capital of Pathanamthitta district. The town has a population of 37 ...

District of

. At present time, this church functioning as an ecumenical church maintained by various Episcopal Churches in India.

References

Churches in Pathanamthitta district Ēḻarappaḷḷikaḷ {{India-church-stub