Gīwargīs of the Cross (, Gīvargīs d'slīva), also spelled Geevarghese of Cross and George of Cross, was an

archdeacon An archdeacon is a senior clergy position in the Church of the East, Chaldean Catholic Church, Syriac Orthodox Church, Anglican Communion, St Thomas Christians, Eastern Orthodox Church, Eastern Orthodox churches and some other Christian denomina ...

(''arkkadyakon'') and leader of the

Saint Thomas Christian The Saint Thomas Christians, also called Syrian Christians of India, ''Marthoma Suriyani Nasrani'', ''Malankara Nasrani'', or ''Nasrani Mappila'', are an ethno-religious community of Indian Christians in the state of Kerala ( Malabar region) ...

community of

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 ...

. He was the son of the elder brother of Giwargis of Christ. By the last year of Bishop

Mar Abraham Abraham the Great of Kashkar was the father of the Assyrian monastic revival in the 6th century. He is a doctor and saint of the Church of the East. He was born in Kashkar in Persia around 492. He left there to preach the Gospel at Al-Hirah, lea ...

, he became the Archdeacon. After the Bishop's death in 1597, he led the Indian Church. He led the church amidst Portuguese intervention. The

Synod of Diamper The Synod of Diamper (Udayamperoor Synod) (), held at Udayamperoor (known as Diamper in non-vernacular sources) in June 1599, was a diocesan synod, or council, that created rules and regulations for the ancient Saint Thomas Christians (also ...

(1599) was held during his time. In 1601,

Francis Ros Francisco Ros, S.J (1559–1624) was a Jesuit prelate who served as the first Archbishop of Angamaly-Cranganore, associated with the Saint Thomas Christians in the early modern Malabar in South India. Introduction Ros was a Catalan Je ...

became Bishop, appointed by the

Archbishop of Goa The Roman Catholic Metropolitan Archdiocese of Goa and Daman (, , ) encompasses the Goa state and the Damaon territory in the Konkan region, by the west coast of India. The ecclesiastical province of Goa and Damaon includes a suffragan dio ...

Aleixo de Menezes Archbishop Aleixo de Menezes or Alexeu de Jesu de Meneses (25 January 1559 – 3 May 1617) was a Catholic prelate that served as Archbishop of Goa, Archbishop of Braga and Viceroy of Portugal during the Philippine Dynasty. Biographical sketch ...

. In the beginning there was cordiality, but the deliberate downgrading of

Angamaly Angamaly () is a municipality in the Ernakulam district of Kerala, India. Angamaly is part of the Kochi metropolitan area and is located northeast of the Kochi city centre. As of the 2011 Indian census, the municipality has a population of 33 ...

and the inertia of Bishop Ros frustrated him. When the Archdeacon protested, Ros excommunicated him. In 1615, the Bishop and Archdeacon reconciled each other, but again fell out later. The next Bishop, Etienne de Brito, also did not recognize the Archdeacon's ecclesiastical status. He led the church in a period of severe stress and turmoil, and held it together. After his time and his brother's time the root family of Pakalomattam became heirless. The only son shifted residence to Alappatt house. He is believed to have been buried in the forefront of Pakalomattam Thravadu (Kuravilangadu).

Synod of Diamper

In 1597, Mar Abraham, the last metropolitan archbishop appointed by the Chaldean Patriarch, died. His Archdeacon, Givargis (of the Cross) according to the custom and by virtue of appointment of Mar Abraham, took up the administration of the Archdiocese of Angamaly. Archbishop Menezes hastened to nominate Fr. Francis Ros S.J. as administrator. At last, since the Archdeacon Givargis was well accepted by the people, Menezes had unwillingly reversed his decision and confirmed the Archdeacon as administrator. They then called together an assembly of the

Saint Thomas Christians The Saint Thomas Christians, also called Syrian Christians of India, ''Marthoma Suriyani Nasrani'', ''Malankara Nasrani'', or ''Nasrani Mappila'', are an Ethnoreligious group, ethno-religious community of Indian Christians in the state of Ker ...

at Angamaly, in which a solemn oath was taken that they would act only according to the wishes of the Archdeacon, and that if the Pope sent them as their Bishop, not their Archdeacon, but a Latin, that they would plead their case with Rome.CHAI, Volume II, History of Christianity in India p. 70-75 Menezes undertook a visit to all the churches of the Saint Thomas Christians in February 1599, which lasted for a few months and slowly earned the good will of the people. After having won over a considerable number of people and priests, Menezes threatened to depose Archdeacon Givargis and appoint in his place Thomas Kurian, another nephew of the former Archdeacon whose claims had been ignored in 1593. In order to prevent a division, Archdeacon Givargis (of the Cross) yielded to the demands of Menezes.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Giwargis of the Cross Saint Thomas Christians Archdeacons 16th-century Christians Year of birth unknown Year of death unknown

Synod of Diamper

See also

References