The Syro-Malankara Catholic Major Archeparchy of Trivandrum is a

Syro-Malankara Catholic Church The Syro-Malankara Catholic Church, also known as the Malankara Syrian Catholic Church, is an Eastern Catholic '' sui iuris'' particular church in full communion with the worldwide Catholic Church possessing self-governance under the Code of ...

ecclesiastical territory or major archeparchy of the

Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwide . It is am ...

Trivandrum Thiruvananthapuram (; ), also known by its List of renamed Indian cities and states, former name Trivandrum (), is the Capital city, capital of the Indian state of Kerala. It is the most populous city in Kerala with a population of 957,730 as ...

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), 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 and dependencies by population, second-most populous ...

Baselios Cleemis Baselios Cleemis (born 15 June 1959) is the current major archbishop-catholicos of the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church. He was named to the College of Cardinals of the Catholic Church by Pope Benedict XVI on 24 November 2012. At the moment of h ...

, the

Major Archbishop In the Eastern Catholic Churches, major archbishop (sometimes also styled as major archeparch) is a title for the chief hierarch of an autonomous ('' sui juris'') particular Church that has not been "endowed with the patriarchal title". Major ar ...

Catholicos Catholicos, plural Catholicoi, is a title used for the head of certain churches in some Eastern Christian traditions. The title implies autocephaly and in some cases it is the title of the head of an autonomous church. The word comes from ancient ...

of the

, presides over the . The

cathedra A ''cathedra'' is the raised throne of a bishop in the early Christian basilica. When used with this meaning, it may also be called the bishop's throne. With time, the related term ''cathedral'' became synonymous with the "seat", or principal ...

is at St. Mary's Malankara Syrian Catholic Cathedral in Pattom,

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 ...

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 Ca ...

. The Archeparchy of Trivandrum is a

metropolitan see Metropolitan may refer to: * Metropolitan area, a region consisting of a densely populated urban core and its less-populated surrounding territories * Metropolitan borough, a form of local government district in England * Metropolitan county, a t ...

with four suffragan eparchies.

History

The Archeparchy of Trivandrum was erected in 1932. Its suffragan eparchies are Marthandom,

Mavelikara Mavelikkara is a taluk and municipality in the ''Onattukara'' region of Alappuzha district in the Indian state of Kerala. Located in the southern part of the district on the banks of the Achankovil River. Etymology The name Mavelikara ...

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 3 ...

and St. Ephrem of Khadki.

Major Archbishop-Catholicos

Baselios Cardinal Cleemis,

of Trivandrum and

of the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church, was elected Major Archbishop of Trivandrum in 2007.

Statistics

In 2020 the Archeparchy had an estimated 1,81,400 faithful, in 217 parishes, with 151 diocesan priests, 34 religious priests, 19 religious brothers, 642 religious sisters, and 89 seminarians. Information sourced from ''Annuario Pontificio'' 2008 edition.

Saints and causes for canonisation

* Geevarghese Ivanios

References

Seminaries

* St. Mary’s Malankara Major Seminary * St. Aloysius Seminary, Thiruvananthapuram

External links

Archeparchy info
from the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church website
Major Archdiocese of Trivandrum
{{coord, 8.4333, N, 76.9167, E, source:wikidata, display=title Syro-Malankara Catholic dioceses Dioceses in Kerala Dioceses established in the 20th century 1932 establishments in India Christian organizations established in 1932 Churches in Thiruvananthapuram district