Aruvithura Church

Last updated

St George Forane Church Aruvithura Aruvithura church.jpg
St George Forane Church Aruvithura

St. George's Syro-Malabar Catholic Forane Church, Aruvithura, more familiarly known as Aruvithura Church, is a Syro-Malabar Catholic church located at Aruvithura, a locality within the Erattupetta municipality in Kottayam district, Kerala, India. [1] [2] Traditionally, it is believed that the Syrian Catholic Church at Aruvithura was established in the 1st century.

The first edifice of the church at Aruvithura was made of granite stones in the manner of Hindu temples. As it is traditionally believed, St. Thomas, the apostle of India preached the Christian faith in the important and popular villages of Malabar. It is believed that St. Thomas the Apostle of Jesus visited Aruvithura and converted prominent families into Christianity, and lay a cross on the banks of the Meenachil River. This is the first church in the Palai diocese and was built in the 1st century. St. Thomas founded seven and a half churches there. It is reported that the church was rebuilt once or twice before the 16th century. The ancient churches were constructed and maintained by the prominent families in the area until the 16th century. In the beginning of the 16th century a new church was built under the leadership of Kallarackal Kathanar by the prominent families.

The church was first dedicated to the Virgin Mother, assumed into heaven. In the 14th century when either the Nilakkal Church or the Chayal Church founded by St. Thomas was destroyed, several families migrated to Aruvithura bringing with them a statue of St. George. Ever since the advent of the statue, the people began to have unflinching faith in the saint and he has been particularly beneficial in bestowing favours on his followers. Because of the numerous favours obtained through the intercession of the saint, in the 16th century, the church was dedicated to him and his statue was placed in the central niche above the main altar. As a result, St. Mary's church Aruvithura became known as St. George's Church Aruvithura.

The 16th-century church was demolished in 1951 but the sanctuary with its vaulting within the right transept of the cruciform church was preserved to enshrine the statue of St. George, its second patron. Some believe the statue to be miraculous. The church is a cruciform building in the Gothic style, facing to the west towards Jerusalem. It was completed in 1952. [3]

This church is approximately 7 km away from St. Alphonsa's Tomb, Bharananganam. Both churches are on the main road side and buses are easily available. Good parking facility is also available in both church campuses.

Accessibility

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Meenachil</span> Taluk in Kerala, India

Meenachil is the north-eastern region of Kottayam district in Kerala, south India. The name originates from Meenakshi, the Hindu Goddess. Pala is the main city in Meenachil. The arterial river of the district is also named Meenachil.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Syro-Malabar Church</span> Eastern 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 Catholic Church, with self-governance under the Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches (CCEO). The major archbishop presides over the entire church. The incumbent Major Archbishop is Raphael Thattil, serving since January 2024. It is the largest Syriac Christian church and the largest Eastern Catholic church. Syro-Malabar is a prefix reflecting the church's use of the East Syriac liturgy and origins in Malabar. The name has been in usage in official Vatican documents since the nineteenth century.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thodupuzha</span> Municipality in Kerala, India

Thodupuzha is a municipality in the Idukki district of Kerala, India. It is located 55 km (34.2 mi) west of the district headquarters in Painavu and about 192 km (119.3 mi) north of the state capital Thiruvananthapuram. As per the 2011 Indian census, Thodupuzha has a population of 52,045 people, and a population density of 1,468/km2 (3,800/sq mi).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Perunilam</span> Village in Kerala, India

Perunilam is a small Village/hamlet in Meenachil Taluk in Kottayam district of Kerala State, India. It comes under Poonjar Panchayath. It belongs to South Kerala Division. It is located 44 km East from District headquarters Kottayam. 2.5 km from Erattupetta. 149 km from State capital Thiruvananthapuram. Main agricultural crop is rubber. The popular Christian Pilgrim Centre Bharananganam and St. George's Syro-Malabar Catholic Forane Church, Aruvithura is near to Perunilam. Perunilam Kurishupally is located in Perunilam. Malayalam is the Local Language here. Kottayam Rail Way Station is major railway station 40 km near to Perunilam.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Syro-Malabar Catholic Archeparchy of Changanacherry</span> Eastern Catholic archeparchy in Kerala, India

The Syro-Malabar Catholic Archeparchy of Changanacherry (Syriac: ܐܦܪܟܝܐ ܪܒܬܐ ܕܫܢܓܢܐܣܐܪܐ, romanized: Afarkaya Rabbta d-Shanganasara; Malayalam: ചങ്ങനാശ്ശേരി അതിഭദ്രാസനം, romanized: Changanassery Athibhadhrasanam) is a Catholic East-Syriac Rite archeparchy with an area of 24,595 km2 comprising the districts of Kottayam, Alappuzha, Pathanamthitta, Kollam, and Thiruvananthapuram in Kerala, and also Kanyakumari district in Tamil Nadu. It is one of the largest Catholic dioceses in India in terms of area. Joseph Perumthottam is the current Metropolitan Archbishop, serving since 2007. Thomas Tharayil has been the auxiliary bishop since 2017. Suffragan eparchies of the Changanassery archeparchy includes Palai, Kanjirappally-Nilackal, and Thuckalay-Thiruvithancode.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cherpunkal</span> Town in Kerala, India

Cherpunkal is a small town in the Kottayam district of Kerala State in India on the Kottayam-Palai Road, seven kilometers from Pala city.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Poonjar</span> Town in Kerala, India

Poonjar is a small Indian town located on the eastern side of Kottayam district in Kerala state, India. Before the independence of India, Poonjar had been the part of Travancore princely state. Erattupetta, Teekoy, Bharananganam, and Vagamon are the nearest towns and villages of Poonjar. Taluk Headquarters, Pala is 18 kilometres away from Poonjar, Kanjirapally is 22.6 kilometres away from Poonjar and Thodupuzha is 34 kilometeres away from Poonjar.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Syrian churches of Kerala</span> Church buildings in India

This article lists the various old and ancient churches that exist among the Saint Thomas Christians in Kerala.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Timeline of the Syro-Malabar Church</span>

This is a timeline of the history of the Syro-Malabar Catholic Church in India.

Melukavu (Melukavumattom) is a village in the eastern part of Meenachil Taluk in Kottayam District of Kerala state, India.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St. George's Syro-Malabar Forane Church, Edappally</span> Church in Kochi, India

St. George's Syro-Malabar Forane Church, locally known as Edapally Church is a Catholic pilgrimage church in Edapally, Kochi, India. It is considered as Asia's largest shrine dedicated to Saint George, about five million people visit it every year.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St. Thomas Cathedral, Irinjalakuda</span> Cathedral in Kerala, India

St. Thomas Cathedral is the Syro Malabar Catholic cathedral of the eparchy of Irinjalakuda in India. It presently exists under the nomenclature and the Canonical Status as Cathedral in the Wake of the Origin of the New Eparchy, effected by the amalgamation of the two independent and important parishes of the locality, namely, St. George’s Forane Church and St. Mary’s church, which were amicably situated side by side for about a century.

'St. George's College Aruvithura, Erattupetta' is a government-aided college affiliated to the Mahatma Gandhi University. It is located in Erattupetta, Kottayam District in Kerala, India. In 4th cycle of NAAC accreditation, College is graded A++. College is managed by St. George's Syro-Malabar Catholic Forane Church, Aruvithura and is named after the patron saint of the church.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Syro-Malabar Catholic Eparchy of Palai</span> Syro-Malabar Catholic territory in India

The Eparchy of Palai is a Syro-Malabar Catholic ecclesiastical jurisdiction 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 Idukki districts of central Kerala in South India. The faithful of this eparchy, numbering 326,742, belong to the ancient St. Thomas Christian community. The seat of the bishop is the St. Thomas Cathedral based in the town of Palai. The current bishop is Joseph Kallarangatt, serving since March 2004.

Neeloor is an agriculture-oriented rural village in the Taluk of Meenachil, Kottayam district, Kerala. The village is situated on the hill sides of Noorumala, Ellumpuram and Perumkunnu which are hills on the borders of Kottayam district and the neighboring Idukki district. Earlier the place was known as "Kallidapootha".

George Thomas Kottukapally of Pala, Kottayam, Kerala, India, was a Member of Parliament, philanthropist, one of South India's largest plantation owners, public intellectual, an Indian independence activist and a member of the Indian National Congress including having taken part in the Indian Independence Movement through the Non co-operation movement in 1921. Post India's Independence in 1947, Kottukapally was elected as the Municipal Chairman, a position equivalent to that of a Mayor for the municipal township of Pala, Kottayam, Kerala which he held between 1948 and 1953. Further, he was elected as an Indian Member of Parliament representing the Indian National Congress party in the 1st Lok Sabha and the 2nd Lok Sabha from 1953 till 1962 for the erst-while constituency of Muvattupuzha which consisted of the whole of Idukki, parts of Kottayam, Pathanamthitta and Chalakudy. He was also India's representative to the United Nations in Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru's Delegation in 1958.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pizhaku</span> Village in Kerala, India

Pizhaku is a village in Kottayam District in the Indian state of Kerala.

Ēḻarappaḷḷikaḷ or Ezharappallikal, are the seven major churches or Christian communities of Saint Thomas Christians across Malabar Coast of India that are believed to have been founded by Thomas the Apostle in the first century. According to Indian Christian traditions, the apostle Thomas arrived in Muziris (Kodungallur) in AD 52, established the Ezharappallikal and evangelised in present-day Kerala and Tamil Nadu. Many of these churches built near Jewish and Brahmin settlements. These were at Maliankara (Kodungallur), Kollam, Palayoor, Kottakkayal, Kokkamangalam, Niranam and Nilackal (Chayal). Thiruvithamcode church in Kanyakumari was built on the land given by arachan (king) and hence it is often referred in the name Arappally. Similarly, the Churches at Malayattoor and Aruvithura are also referred to as Arappallikal.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marth Mariam Syro-Malabar Church, Kuravilangad</span> Syro-Malabar Catholic parish in India

Marth Mariam Syro-Malabar Church is a Marian pilgrim center of the Syro-Malabar Church located at Kuravilangad in Kottayam district. This church claims to date to 105 AD. The church has an ancient bell with the engraving on Syriac language "Mother of God." Three majestic bells were brought from Germany in 1911 and is one of the largest bells in Asia. The church is also known for its Kappalottam or "racing ship," a commemoration of the biblical story of Jonah and the whale.

Parathanam is a town at the base of Western Ghats mountain ranges in the Kottayam district, Kerala. It is 2,000 feet above sea level and is situated on the eastern border of Kottayam District, 60 km from Kottayam, 12 km away from Poonjar and around 8 km away from Mundakayam on the NH 220.

References

  1. ↑ "St. George Forane Church, Aruvithura". www.aruvithurapally.com. Retrieved 6 January 2015.
  2. ↑ "Elected Members Details". LSG Kerala. Retrieved 3 May 2020.
  3. ↑ ""Aruvithura Palli"-The Historical Church of Kerala... [PART-1]". You Tube: JOMS DigiMedia. September 2010. Retrieved 6 January 2015.

Thomas Christian Architecture P.145 http://www.palaidiocese.com/repository/pdf/82569Directory%202014.pdf

09°41′08″N76°46′40″E / 9.68556°N 76.77778°E / 9.68556; 76.77778

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.