The St. Mary's Syro-Malabar Cathedral Basilica is a
cathedral
A cathedral is a church that contains the '' cathedra'' () of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually specific to those Christian denomination ...
in
Ernakulam
Ernakulam () is the Central Business District of the city of Kochi in Kerala, India and has lent its name to the Ernakulam district. Many major establishments, including the Kerala High Court, the office of the Kochi Municipal Corporation a ...
,
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 ...
. It was founded in 1112, and is also known by the names Nasrani Palli, Anchikaimal Palli or Thekke Palli. The church is the headquarters of the
Major Archeparchy of Ernakulam-Angamaly, which is the
Primatal See of the
Syro-Malabar Church
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 ...
.
History
The present church building was constructed in the early twentieth century under the direction of
Mar Aloysius Pazheparambil and was elevated to the status of a Basilica by
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 ...
on 20 March 1974.
The large, tall and spacious cathedral has an altar that was used by
pope 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 ...
, when he visited India during 7 February 1986. The altar depicts the birth, the crucifixion and the resurrection of Jesus Christ. The two 68-foot tall towers in the front have statues of St Peter and St Paul on top, and the bell tower (88 feet high) has St. Thomas statue on top. There is also a depiction of Jesus's apparition to St Thomas.
St. Mary's Cathedral, Ernakulam
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Gallery
File:St Mary's Syro Malabar Basilica Full.jpg, St Mary's Syro Malabar Basilica
File:St Mary's Syro Malabar Bascilica.jpg, Entrance of the Basilica
File:St. Mary's Syro-Malabar Cathedral Basilica, Ernakulam by Augustus Binu.jpg, Interior view
File:Kochi Bascilica.jpg, Belfry
File:St Mary's Syro Malabar Basilica Chapel.jpg, Perpetual Adoration Chapel
See also
*
*
* St. George Syro-Malabar Catholic Forane Church, Edappally
*List of cathedrals in India
A cathedral (from the Greek ''kathedra'' (καθέδρα), seat, bench, chair) is a Christian church which contains the seat of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese.
This is the list of cathedrals in India sorted by denomina ...
References
External links
Profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ernakulam, Mary
Archdiocese of Ernakulam-Angamaly
Tourist attractions in Kochi
Basilica churches in Kerala
Syro-Malabar Catholic cathedrals
1112 establishments in Asia
Religious organizations established in the 1110s
12th-century churches in India
St. Mary's Syro-Malabar Catholic Cathedral Basilica, Ernakulam
12th-century establishments in India
Church buildings with domes
Eastern Catholic churches in Kochi