St Thomas Cathedral, also known as the Cathedral of Pala, is a Catholic church that follows the Syro-Malabar rite and is located in the town of
Pala Pala may refer to:
Places
Chad
*Pala, Chad, the capital of the region of Mayo-Kebbi Ouest
Estonia
* Pala, Kose Parish, village in Kose Parish, Harju County
* Pala, Kuusalu Parish, village in Kuusalu Parish, Harju County
*Pala, Järva County, vi ...
in the state of
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 ...
in the south of the Asian country 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 ...
. It serves as the mother church of the
Syro-Malabar Diocese or Eparchy of Palai ('' Eparchia Palaiensis'') which was created in 1950 through the bull "Quo Ecclesiarum" of
Pope Pius XII
Pope Pius XII ( it, Pio XII), born Eugenio Maria Giuseppe Giovanni Pacelli (; 2 March 18769 October 1958), was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 2 March 1939 until his death in October 1958. Before his e ...
.
The church was founded in the year 1002 July 3, by four Syrian Christian families. These four Christian families of
Palai
Pallai ( ta, பளை, si, පල්ලෙයි), also spelt Palai, is a small town in the Kilinochchi District, Northern Province, Sri Lanka.
It is located near the coast on the northern peninsula, approximately south-east of Jaffna.
...
were
Tharayil,
Koottumkal (brother of
Tharayil Mappila),
Erakonni and
Vayalakombil. They engaged mainly in agriculture and trade. The traditional written history is that the Pala church founded by these families. Tharayil Thomman Mappila and Vayalakombil Thomman Mappila seek the permission to build a church at Pala. But the local ruler meenachil kartha's (karthavu) asked them to bring two more families. Erakonni family joined with them And still they Were in need of one more family. So Tharayil mappila brought his own brother's son from kaduthuruthy to Pala and their family name turned as Koottumkal family, in order to construct the church. Meenachil Karthas gave land on the banks of ''meenachil river'' and the church was constructed. These four families stayed in and around the church and opposite to the church.
Pala Old church (വലിയ പള്ളി)
The Old church was rebuilt three times and the present old church was reconstructed in 1702 by
Srampickal Ittan Mappilai a member of Tharayil family. He was a chief trader and agriculturist of the land and by the last decade of the 17th century a mukalappada from Tamil Nadu set fire to the church. As the land where the old church stood was owned by Ittan Mappilai himself, he also had spent the expenses of reconstruction by himself. Records say when the construction of the church was completed, it also had left him in debt. According to his last wish Ittan Mappilai died lying on the Verandah of the church in 30 November 1702, and was buried in the church cemetery.
The New church of Cathedral presently seen was built under the leadership of Mar. Sebastian Vayalil, the first bishop of Palai.
See also
*
List of Jesuit sites
References
Eastern Catholic cathedrals in Kerala
Churches in Kottayam district
Pala, Kerala
Syro-Malabar Catholic cathedrals
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