St. Mary's Jacobite Syrian Cathedral, Kothamangalam

Martha Mariyam Cathedral or St. Mary's Church is a Valiyapally (Principal Church) of the Syriac Orthodox Church situated in Kothamangalam town in the Ernakulam district of Kerala, India.[1]

Martha Mariyam Cathedral Valiyapally, Kothamangalam
Martha Mariyam Cathedral Cathedral Valiyapally, Kothamangalam
10.0642781°N 76.6301738°E / 10.0642781; 76.6301738
LocationKothamangalam, Ernakulam,  India
DenominationMalankara Jacobite Syrian Church
Websitehttp://valiyapally.com
History
StatusValiyapally
Architecture
StyleKerala Architecture
Years built498 to 1340
Administration
DistrictErnakulam
ProvinceKerala

It is one of the most ancient Christian churches in India. According to local belief, the church was founded on or before 4th century by a few Syrian Christian families who migrated from Paravur and Angamali. The new church established in AD 1338 by four Syrian Christian merchants who bought the entire land of Kothamangalam from a local chief for commodity trading with the nearby state of Tamil Nadu.[2]

History

Kothamangalam was a major commercial city during the Portuguese period. The Martha Mariyam Cathedral church at Kothamangalam, commonly known as Valiyapally is the oldest of all the churches in the region. Present Kothamangalam region was historically known as Malakhachira (മാലാഖച്ചിറ, which literally means "Place of the Angel").[3] The name came from a legend associated with Thomas the Apostle. According to tradition, the Apostle, during his mission in India, stayed in this region where he had a vision of archangel Gabriel who instructed him to establish seven and a half churches in Malankara.[4][5][6] According to tradition, Mar Yuhannon who represented the Malankara Church at the Holy Synod of Ephesus in AD 431 stayed at Kothamangalam church and had visited Angamaly Church.[3]

Altars

The altars in the Martha Mariyam church are dedicated to the blessed Virgin Mary, Saint George, Saint John the Baptist, and Apostles Saint Peter, Saint Paul and Saint Thomas

Feasts

The most important festivals of the church are celebrated on 10 February and 15 August.

Holy Soonoro

A small portion of the Holy Girdle of Saint Mary, rediscovered at the Syriac Orthodox Church at Homs in 1953 by Patriarch of Antioch Ignatius Aphrem I Barsoum, was established in this church In 1980 by the diocesan Metropolitan Thomas Mor Dionysius (The present Catholicos of Malankara).[7]

Historical Events

See also

References
  1. "Martha Mariyam Cathedral Valiya Pally Kothamangalam (St.Mary's Church)". valiyapally.com. Retrieved 22 December 2017.
  2. "Kothamangalam Valiyapally: MARTHA MARIYAM JACOBITE SYRIAN CATHEDRAL". SyriacChristianity.org. Retrieved 25 January 2022.
  3. John Mason Neale, A history of the Holy Eastern Church : the Patriarchate of Antioch, (First published 1873. Republisher: Facsimile Publisher, 2015), p.6, ff.3..
  4. Stephen Andrew Missick. "Mar Thoma: The Apostolic Foundation of the Assyrian Church and the Christians of St. Thomas in India" (PDF). Journal of Assyrian Academic Studies.
  5. Origin of Christianity in India – A Historiographical Critique by Dr. Benedict Vadakkekara. (2007). ISBN 81-7495-258-6.
  6. Fahlbusch, Erwin (14 February 2008). The Encyclodedia of Christianity. Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing. ISBN 9780802824172.
  7. "请稍等，正在进入".
  8. "Brief history of Saint Gregorios Chathuruthy - Parumala thirumeni".
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