St. Mary's Forane Church, Bharananganam (established in 1004 A.D.) is a

Syro-Malabar Catholic church The Syro-Malabar Church, also known as the Syro-Malabar Catholic Church, is an Eastern Catholic church based in Kerala, India. It is a '' sui iuris'' (autonomous) particular church in full communion with the Holy See and the worldwide Cathol ...

located in

Kottayam district Kottayam () is one of List of districts of Kerala, 14 districts in the States and union territories of India, Indian state of Kerala. Kottayam district comprises six municipal towns: Kottayam, Changanassery, Pala, Kerala, Pala, Erattupetta, Ettu ...

Kerala Kerala ( , ) is a States and union territories of India, 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 ...

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

. Located in a small town named Anakkallu in

Bharananganam Bharananganam, is a Christian pilgrimage centre in South India on the banks of the Meenachil River, away from Pala and from Plassanal, in Kottayam district in the Indian state of Kerala. Agriculture is the main occupation of the people, ...

, the church is also known as Bharananganam Church or Anakkallu church. It is one of the oldest church and Christian pilgrim centre in Kottayam district. The tomb of Saint Alphonsa is in this church. The podium where

Pope John Paul II Pope John Paul II (born Karol Józef Wojtyła; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 16 October 1978 until Death and funeral of Pope John Paul II, his death in 2005. In his you ...

addressed the audience in 1986, was also removed and preserved as a monument in the church.

Etymology

When they prepared to build a church in Bharanganam, there was a big dispute among the locals about where to build it. When it was not possible to find a solution to this, a decision was made that a stone can be placed in the elephant's trunk and a church can be built wherever the elephant places the stone. It is believed that the place where the elephant laid the stone was later known as Anakkallu (combination of two Malayalam words "Ana" (meaning elephant) and "kallu" (meaning stone)) and the church built there was known as Anakkallu Palli.

Parishes under this Forane

Amparanirappel St. John's Church (established 21 August 1917), Choondachery St. Joseph's Church (established 24 July 1994), Edappady St. Joseph's Church (established 1886), Idamattom St. Michael's Church (established 15 July 1865), Kizhaparayar St. Gregorios Church (established 17 November 1926), Mallikassery St. Thomas Church (established 1954), Paika St. Joseph's Church (established 1901), Plassanal St. Mary's Church (established 16 July 1848), Poovathodu St. Thomas Church (established 1887) and Vilakkumadom St. Fransis Xavier Church (established 1849) are the parishes under this Forane.

St. Alphonsa Church, Bharanganam

A cemetery chapel of St. Mary's Church was started in 1945. The tomb of Saint Alphonsa was in that cemetery chapel. On 12 October 2008, after Alphonsama was beatified, a church was built there and was named St. Alphonsa Church. Thousands of devotees come and participate in this feast associated with the anniversary of Saint Alphonsa's death, on July 28 every year in the church. Almost 40 years after Alphonsa's death, on February 8, 1986, Pope John Paul II beatified Alphonsa and

Kuriakose Elias Chavara Saint Kuriakose Elias Chavara, CMI (10 February 1805 – 3 January 1871) was an Indian Catholic priest, religious, philosopher and social reformer. He is the first canonised Catholic male saint of Indian origin and was a member of the Sy ...

on the same day at Nehru stadium in

Kottayam Kottayam () is a city in the Kottayam district of Kerala, India. It is the district headquarters of the district and is located about north of the state capital Thiruvananthapuram. As per the 2011 Indian census, Kottayam has a population of ...

. The podium where Pope John Paul addressed the audience and conducted the Mass in February 1986, was also removed and preserved as a monument in the church, in front of the tomb of Saint Alphonsa. The Alphonsa Museum, which houses hundreds of exhibits related to the life of Saint Alphonsa, is also located in the chapel compound.

Honors

The Indian Postal Department issues a special pictorial cancellation stamp to post offices connected to popular tourist destinations and pilgrimages in India. Bharananganam Church is one of the third Christian churches in Kerala to receive this honor ( Malayattoor Church and Pavaratty Church are the other two churches).

References

{{reflist Syro-Malabar Catholic church buildings Churches in Kottayam district