![Archbishop's House, Changanassery, Kerala](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/bd/Archbishop%27s_House%2C_Changanassery%2C_Kerala.jpg)
The Archeparchy of Changanacherry is a
Syro-Malabar Catholic
lat, Ecclesia Syrorum-Malabarensium mal, മലബാറിലെ സുറിയാനി സഭ
, native_name_lang=, image = St. Thomas' Cross (Chennai, St. Thomas Mount).jpg
, caption = The Mar Thoma Nasrani Sl ...
archeparchy with an area of 24,595 km
2 comprising the districts of
Kottayam
Kottayam () is a municipal town in the Indian state of Kerala. Flanked by the Western Ghats on the east and the Vembanad Lake and paddy fields of Kuttanad on the west. It is the district headquarters of Kottayam district, located in south-we ...
,
Alappuzha
Alappuzha or Alleppey () is the administrative headquarters of Alappuzha district in States and territories of India, state of Kerala, India. The Kerala Backwaters, Backwaters of Alappuzha are one of the most popular tourist attractions in Indi ...
,
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 ...
,
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 ...
, and
Thiruvananthapuram
Thiruvananthapuram (; ), also known by its former name Trivandrum (), is the capital of the Indian state of Kerala. It is the most populous city in Kerala with a population of 957,730 as of 2011. The encompassing urban agglomeration populati ...
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 ...
, and also
Kanyakumari district
Kanniyakumari district is one of the 38 districts in Tamil Nadu state and the southernmost district in mainland India. It stands second in terms of population density among the districts of Tamil Nadu. It is also the richest district in Tamil Nad ...
in
Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is a States and union territories of India, state in southern India. It is the List of states and union territories of India by area, tenth largest Indian state by area and the List of states and union territories of India ...
. It is one of the largest
Catholic
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
dioceses in
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 ...
in terms of area.
Joseph Perumthottam
Mar Joseph Perumthottam (born 5 July 1948) is a prelate of the Syro-Malabar Catholic Church. Since 2007 he as served as the Archbishop of Changanassery.
Education
He was educated in St. Joseph's High School in Punnathura and St. Berchmans' ...
is the current
Metropolitan Archbishop, serving since 2007.
Thomas Tharayil
Thomas Tharayil (5 May 1899 – 26 July 1975) was an eparchial bishop of the Knanaya Catholic Eparchy of Kottayam, belonging to the Syro-Malabar Church. He was born in Kaipuzha, India. He is buried in Christ the King Cathedral Kottayam.
Refer ...
has been the auxiliary bishop since 2017. And
Joseph Powathil is the bishop emeritus, having served from 1985 to 2007.
Suffragan eparchies of the Changanassery archeparchy includes
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.
...
,
Kanjirappally-Nilackal, and
Thuckalay-Thiruvithancode (Tamil Nadu).
The Changanacherry (originally named Kottayam) was one of the first two Syro-Malabar vicariates, along with
Syro-Malabar Catholic Archeparchy of Thrissur
The Syro-Malabar Catholic Archeparchy of Trichur-Palayoor, in Thrissur District of Central Kerala, India, with nearly half a million Syro-Malabar Catholics now, used to be the largest Catholic diocese in India when it included the Syro-Malaba ...
, when
Pope Leo XIII
Pope Leo XIII ( it, Leone XIII; born Vincenzo Gioacchino Raffaele Luigi Pecci; 2 March 1810 – 20 July 1903) was the head of the Catholic Church from 20 February 1878 to his death in July 1903. Living until the age of 93, he was the second-old ...
in 1887 re-organized Syro-Malabar Catholics as a separate church from the
Latin Church
, native_name_lang = la
, image = San Giovanni in Laterano - Rome.jpg
, imagewidth = 250px
, alt = Façade of the Archbasilica of St. John in Lateran
, caption = Archbasilica of Saint Joh ...
's jurisdiction ever since the
Synod of Diamper
The Synod of Diamper (Udayamperoor Synod) ( mal, ഉദയംപേരൂർ സൂനഹദോസ്, Udayampērūṟ Sūnahadōs), held at Udayamperoor (known as Diamper in non-vernacular sources) in June 1599, was a diocesan synod, or cou ...
in 1599.
History
The Apostolic Church of
St. Thomas Christians
The Saint Thomas Christians, also called Syrian Christians of India, ''Marthoma Suriyani Nasrani'', ''Malankara Nasrani'', or ''Nasrani Mappila'', are an Ethnoreligious group, ethno-religious community of Indian Christians in the state of Ker ...
traditionally traces its origin to
St. Thomas, the Apostle, who is held to have arrived on the
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 ...
Coast in A.D. 52. In the course of history this Church entered into good relationship with the
East Syriac
The East Syriac Rite or East Syrian Rite, also called the Edessan Rite, Assyrian Rite, Persian Rite, Chaldean Rite, Nestorian Rite, Babylonian Rite or Syro-Oriental Rite, is an Eastern Christian liturgical rite that employs the Divine Liturgy ...
Church. The presbiteral office of the
Archdeacon
An archdeacon is a senior clergy position in the Church of the East, Chaldean Catholic Church, Syriac Orthodox Church, Anglican Communion, St Thomas Christians, Eastern Orthodox churches and some other Christian denominations, above that o ...
of all India did the temporal administration.
The Portuguese missionaries who arrived in the 15th century could not decipher the liturgical traditions and the mode of governance of this Church. They Latinized the ancient liturgical texts and forced existing
East Syriac
The East Syriac Rite or East Syrian Rite, also called the Edessan Rite, Assyrian Rite, Persian Rite, Chaldean Rite, Nestorian Rite, Babylonian Rite or Syro-Oriental Rite, is an Eastern Christian liturgical rite that employs the Divine Liturgy ...
Christians or Nasranis to convert to the Roman Catholic Church under the Padroado Archbishop of Goa. When the domination of the Portuguese missionaries became unbearable, a section of this community broke away from western supremacy in 1653 and accepted allegiance to Antiochian
West Syriac Rite and Miaphysite belief. But a good number returned to the East Syriac Catholic fold through unification efforts. Those who did not return constitute the present Malankara Churches. The others maintained and regained loyalty to the
Apostolic See of Rome. This relationship started only in 1553 as a half Catholic-half Nestorian position due to a split in the Babylonian Church of the East and strengthened in 1599 through the
Udayamperur sunnahadose (Synod of Diamper).
The first two Vicariates of the Syro-Malabar Church are Trichur and Kottayam. The Archdiocese of Changanacherry is part of the Kottayam Vicariate and the second
Metropolitan Archdiocese of the
Syro-Malabar Church, after the establishment of the Syro-Malabar hierarchy which was the prelude to the restoration of the identity of the Church in 1992 as a Sui Iuris Church.
Pope Leo XIII
Pope Leo XIII ( it, Leone XIII; born Vincenzo Gioacchino Raffaele Luigi Pecci; 2 March 1810 – 20 July 1903) was the head of the Catholic Church from 20 February 1878 to his death in July 1903. Living until the age of 93, he was the second-old ...
of happy memory by his Bull ‘Quod Iam Pridem’ dated 20 May 1887 established two
Vicariates Apostolic - Kottayam and Thrissur; exclusively for the Syro-Malabarians.
Dr. Charles Lavigne for Kottayam and
Dr. Adolph Medlycott for Trichur respectively were appointed the
Vicars Apostolic.
The same Pope reorganised the existing Vicariates by the Bull ‘Quae Rei Sacrae’ dated 28 July 1896 establishing a new Vicariate, Ernakulam, with territories carved out from the two existing Vicariates (1)
Pallippuram, Alappuzha, 2)
Edappally and 3)
Arakuzha divisions from Kottayam Vicariate). Indigenous bishops were appointed Vicars Apostolic in the new Sees. They included
Mar Mathew Makil
Mathew Makil (27 March 1851 – 26 January 1914) was the second Vicar Apostolic and the first indigenous Vicar Apostolic of the Vicariate of Kottayam (Changanacherry), which is the Syro Malabar Archeparchy of Changanacherry today. Mathew Mak ...
for Changanacherry, Mar Louis Pazheparambil (from Changanacherry Vicariate) for Ernakulam and
Mar John Menacherry (from Ernakulam Vicariate) for Thrissur.
A new Vicariate of Kottayam was constituted in 1911 exclusively for the Southists and
Mar Mathew Makil
Mathew Makil (27 March 1851 – 26 January 1914) was the second Vicar Apostolic and the first indigenous Vicar Apostolic of the Vicariate of Kottayam (Changanacherry), which is the Syro Malabar Archeparchy of Changanacherry today. Mathew Mak ...
was transferred to Kottayam as the Vicar Apostolic of Southists and
Mar Thomas Kurialacherry was appointed the Vicar Apostolic of Changanacherry. With the establishment of the Syro-Malabar Hierarchy on 21 December 1923 by the Bull ‘Romani Pontifices’ of
Pope Pius XI
Pope Pius XI ( it, Pio XI), born Ambrogio Damiano Achille Ratti (; 31 May 1857 – 10 February 1939), was head of the Catholic Church from 6 February 1922 to his death in February 1939. He was the first sovereign of Vatican City fro ...
, the
Diocese of Thrissur, Changanacherry and
Kottayam
Kottayam () is a municipal town in the Indian state of Kerala. Flanked by the Western Ghats on the east and the Vembanad Lake and paddy fields of Kuttanad on the west. It is the district headquarters of Kottayam district, located in south-we ...
became suffragans of the
Archdiocese of Ernakulam thereby constituting the first Modern Syro-Malabar Province.
On 25 July 1950 the Diocese of Changanacherry was bifurcated by 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 ...
and the new
Diocese of Palai
The Eparchy of Palai is a Syro-Malabar Catholic ecclesiastical territory or eparchy of the Catholic Church with an area of 1166 km2 comprising the Meenachil taluk and a few villages of the neighbouring taluks in Kottayam, Ernakulam, and ...
was created.
The Holy See
The Holy See ( lat, Sancta Sedes, ; it, Santa Sede ), also called the See of Rome, Petrine See or Apostolic See, is the jurisdiction of the Pope in his role as the bishop of Rome. It includes the apostolic see, apostolic episcopal see of the ...
being impressed by the wonderful progress achieved by the Syro-Malabarians, extended the hitherto held boundaries of Changanacherry to the areas south of
river Pamba
The Pamba River (also called Pampa River) is the longest river in the Indian state of Kerala after Periyar and Bharathappuzha, and the longest river in the erstwhile former princely state of Travancore. Sabarimala temple dedicated to Lord Ayyapp ...
, up to (including)
Kanyakumari, by the Bull ‘Multorum Fidelium’ 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 ...
, dated 29 April 1955. Changanacherry was raised to the status of an
archdiocese
In church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop.
History
In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided provinces were administratively associate ...
on 26 July 1956 by
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 ...
constituting the second province in the
Syro-Malabar Church and Kottayam and Pala became its suffragans. The Apostolic Constitution ‘Regnum Caelorum’ of 26 November 1959 of
Pope John XXIII
Pope John XXIII ( la, Ioannes XXIII; it, Giovanni XXIII; born Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli, ; 25 November 18813 June 1963) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 28 October 1958 until his death in June 19 ...
gave effect to this decision 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 ...
.
In 1975 the missionary work of three (now five) civil districts of the
Archdiocese of Agra
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Agra ( la, Agraën(sis)) is a Latin Metropolitan archdiocese in northern India's Uttar Pradesh state. It comproses the following districts in Uttar Pradesh: Agra, Aligarh, Auraiya, Budaun, Bulandshahr, Etah, E ...
in the State of
Uttar Pradesh
Uttar Pradesh (; , 'Northern Province') is a state in northern India. With over 200 million inhabitants, it is the most populated state in India as well as the most populous country subdivision in the world. It was established in 1950 ...
was taken up completely by the Archeparchy of Changanacherry. The Archdiocese was again divided on 26 February 1977 by the Bull ‘Nos Beati Petri’ of
Pope Paul VI
Pope Paul VI ( la, Paulus VI; it, Paolo VI; born Giovanni Battista Enrico Antonio Maria Montini, ; 26 September 18976 August 1978) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City, Vatican City State from 21 June 1963 to his ...
and the new
Eparchy of Kanjirappilly was set up comprising parts of the Civil districts of
Kottayam
Kottayam () is a municipal town in the Indian state of Kerala. Flanked by the Western Ghats on the east and the Vembanad Lake and paddy fields of Kuttanad on the west. It is the district headquarters of Kottayam district, located in south-we ...
and
Idukki. The Archeparchy was divided a fourth time when its
Kanyakumari Mission was elevated to the status of a new diocese by the Bull Apud Indorum Gentes of
John Paul II
Pope John Paul II ( la, Ioannes Paulus II; it, Giovanni Paolo II; pl, Jan Paweł II; born Karol Józef Wojtyła ; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 1978 until his ...
, dated 18 December 1996. The formal inauguration of the new
eparchy of Thuckalay and the Episcopal consecration of
Mar George Alencherry as its first Bishop took place on 2 February 1997.
The Archeparchy of Changanacherry now comprises the civil districts of
Thiruvananthapuram
Thiruvananthapuram (; ), also known by its former name Trivandrum (), is the capital of the Indian state of Kerala. It is the most populous city in Kerala with a population of 957,730 as of 2011. The encompassing urban agglomeration populati ...
,
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 ...
,
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 ...
,
Alappuzha
Alappuzha or Alleppey () is the administrative headquarters of Alappuzha district in States and territories of India, state of Kerala, India. The Kerala Backwaters, Backwaters of Alappuzha are one of the most popular tourist attractions in Indi ...
and
Kottayam
Kottayam () is a municipal town in the Indian state of Kerala. Flanked by the Western Ghats on the east and the Vembanad Lake and paddy fields of Kuttanad on the west. It is the district headquarters of Kottayam district, located in south-we ...
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 ...
and
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.
...
,
Kanjirapally
Kanjirappally is a taluk and a town in Kottayam district situated about away from the district capital, in the state of Kerala, India.
Climate
Kanjirappally has the highest number of rainy days in Kerala. It receives the highest amount of sum ...
and
Thuckalay
Thuckalay or Thakkalai is a town in Kanyakumari district of Tamil Nadu, India. Thuckalay comes under the Padmanabhapuram Municipality, and is the administrative headquarters of Kalkulam Taluk. The Revenue Divisional Office is located in Mettuka ...
as its suffragans. Archbishop
Mar Joseph Powathil assumed the office of the Archbishop of Changanacherry on 17 January 1986 and resigned in 2007.
Mar Joseph Perumthottam was appointed on 20 January 2007 as the new Metropolitan Archbishop of Changanacherry and was installed on 19 March 2007.
Eparchs and archeparchs
Suffragan eparchies
*
Syro-Malabar Catholic Eparchy of Palai
The Eparchy of Palai is a Syro-Malabar Catholic ecclesiastical territory or eparchy of the Catholic Church with an area of 1166 km2 comprising the Meenachil taluk and a few villages of the neighbouring taluks in Kottayam, Ernakulam, and ...
*
Syro-Malabar Catholic Eparchy of Kanjirappally
The Syro Malabar Catholic Eparchy of Kanjirappally-Nilackal is a Syro-Malabar Catholic eparchy with an area of 1980 km2 comprising the Kanjirappally taluk in Kottayam district and a few villages of the neighbouring taluks in Kottayam distri ...
*
Syro-Malabar Catholic Eparchy of Thuckalay
Institutions and personnel
The total number of parishes is nearly 300. In addition,. The population of Syro-Malabar Catholics in
Changanacherry
Changanassery or Changanacherry is a municipal town in Kottayam district in the state of Kerala, India.
History
The first recorded history on the origin of Changanacherry is obtained from Sangam period literature. According to Sangam era d ...
Archdiocese is nearly about 400000. There are 18
foranes under
Changanacherry
Changanassery or Changanacherry is a municipal town in Kottayam district in the state of Kerala, India.
History
The first recorded history on the origin of Changanacherry is obtained from Sangam period literature. According to Sangam era d ...
Archdiocese. They are:
Parishes and population
Foranes under Archdiocese of Changanacherry include,
Alappuzha
Alappuzha or Alleppey () is the administrative headquarters of Alappuzha district in States and territories of India, state of Kerala, India. The Kerala Backwaters, Backwaters of Alappuzha are one of the most popular tourist attractions in Indi ...
,
Kollam-Ayur,
Manimala,
Kottayam
Kottayam () is a municipal town in the Indian state of Kerala. Flanked by the Western Ghats on the east and the Vembanad Lake and paddy fields of Kuttanad on the west. It is the district headquarters of Kottayam district, located in south-we ...
,
Thiruvananthapuram
Thiruvananthapuram (; ), also known by its former name Trivandrum (), is the capital of the Indian state of Kerala. It is the most populous city in Kerala with a population of 957,730 as of 2011. The encompassing urban agglomeration populati ...
,
Kurumpanadom,
Edathua,
Amboori
Amboori is a panchayath in Kattakkada Taluk of Thiruvananthapuram district in the state of Kerala in India. It is situated 38 km south-east of capital city Trivandrum.Census Village code = 00134400
The Amboori village has a population of ...
,
Nedumkunnam
Nedumkunnam is a village in Kerala, India, located about 16 km East of Changanacherry on Changanacherry-Manimala Road, in Kottayam district. It is 3 km East of Karukachal towards Manimala/Cheruvally.
Geography
Literally, it is the ' ...
,
Athirampuzha,
Kudamaloor,
Pulincunnu
Pulincunnoo or Pulinkunnoo (Churuli) is an island village in the Kuttanadu region of Alappuzha district in the Indian state of Kerala. The Pampa river in Pulincunnoo is one of the most favored routes of the houseboats tourism operators in Kut ...
,
Champakulam,
Changanacherry
Changanassery or Changanacherry is a municipal town in Kottayam district in the state of Kerala, India.
History
The first recorded history on the origin of Changanacherry is obtained from Sangam period literature. According to Sangam era d ...
,
Thrickodithanam,
Thuruthy,
Muhamma,
Chengannur
Chengannur (also spelled Chengannoor or Chenganur) is a Municipality in the Alappuzha district of Kerala State, India. It is located in the extreme eastern part of the Alappuzha district, on the banks of Pamba River.
Chengannur is north of ...
.
Important events
* 19 February 1892: Foundation Stone laid for the new Bishop's House at Vedikkunnu.
* 21 March 1891: Bishop Lavigne shifts his residence to Changanacherry (Mount Carmel CMC Convent).
* 3 February 1891: St. Berchmans, the first highschool of the Syrians founded on the precincts of St. Mary's Cathedral Changanacherry.
* 1 October 1890: Letter of Permission to shift the headquarters of Kottayam, Vicariate to Changanacherry
* 18 December 1888: Bishop Charles Lavigne convenes Changanacherry Synod.
* 14 December 1888: Bishop Lavigne established St. Germane's, the first Orphanage and FCC.
* 10 May 1888: Bishop Charles assumes charge
* 13 September 1887: Bishop Charles Lavigne, Vicar Apostolic of Kottayam.
* 20 May 1887: Establishment of Vicariates of Kottayam and Trissur.
* 15 April 1887: Nazarani Deepika launched.
* 16 January 1887: Reconstruction of the present Metropolitan Church.
* 28 July 1896: Vicariate of Ernakulam created, with territories from both Vicariates.
* 21 December 1923: Establishment of Syro Malabar Hierarchy with Ernakulam as the Metropolitan See
* 29 July 1956: The diocese of Changanassery made Metropolitan See
* 3 July 1962: Establishment of St. Thomas Apostolic Seminary, Vadavathoor, Kottayam.
* 3 December 1972: Establishment of archdiocese youth movement,
YUVADEEPTI-KCYM
* 15 January 2003:
Diocese of Idukki established.
*15-August-2019 :Honorary Doctorate for Archbishop Emirates Mar Joseph Powathil
First vicar general
*1889-1892 Msgr
Nidhiry Mani Kathanar
Mar Emmanuel Nidhiri (27 May 1842 – 20 June 1904), also known as Nidhiry Mani Kathanar, was a significant figure in the history of the Syrian Malabar Nasrani church in Kerala. He led the community against the European hegemony over the Saint ...
Saints and causes for canonisation
* St Alphonsa
*St.
Kuriakose Elias Chavara
* Ven.
Thomas Kurialacherry
* Servant of God Thommachan Puthenparampil
* Servant of God Mar Mathew Kavukattu
* Philomena Vallayil (Mary Francesca de Chantal)
*
Benedict Onamkulam
Benedict Onamkulam (1929–2001) was an Indian priest who was convicted of the murder, rape and impregnation of a woman in 1960 and sentenced to death. He was acquitted in 1967 due to a lack of evidence.
See also
* Madatharuvi case
References ...
References
External links
Website of the ArchdioceseArchdiocese of Changanassery: Information & PhotographsCatholic Bishop Conference of India (CBCI)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Changanacherry
Changanassery
Religious organizations established in 1896
Syro-Malabar Catholic dioceses
Eastern Catholic dioceses in India
Roman Catholic dioceses and prelatures established in the 19th century
Dioceses in Kerala
Churches in Kottayam district