The Holy Girdle, also known as the Girdle of Thomas, Holy Girdle of Mary, Holy ''Zoonoro'', (or) ''Zunoro'', and Holy Belt of Saint Mary the mother of

Jesus Jesus (AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ, Jesus of Nazareth, and many Names and titles of Jesus in the New Testament, other names and titles, was a 1st-century Jewish preacher and religious leader. He is the Jesus in Chris ...

, is a

relic In religion, a relic is an object or article of religious significance from the past. It usually consists of the physical remains or personal effects of a saint or other person preserved for the purpose of veneration as a tangible memorial. Reli ...

of the

Blessed Virgin Mary Mary was a first-century Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Saint Joseph, Joseph and the mother of Jesus. She is an important figure of Christianity, venerated under titles of Mary, mother of Jesus, various titles such as Perpetual virginity ...

which is one of the important relics of

Syriac Orthodox Church The Syriac Orthodox Church (), also informally known as the Jacobite Church, is an Oriental Orthodox Christian denomination, denomination that originates from the Church of Antioch. The church currently has around 4-5 million followers. The ch ...

and

venerated Veneration (; ), or veneration of saints, is the act of honoring a saint, a person who has been identified as having a high degree of sanctity or holiness. Angels are shown similar veneration in many religions. Veneration of saints is practiced, ...

Oriental Orthodox The Oriental Orthodox Churches are Eastern Christianity, Eastern Christian churches adhering to Miaphysitism, Miaphysite Christology, with approximately 50 million members worldwide. The Oriental Orthodox Churches adhere to the Nicene Christian ...

communion. The word ''Zunoro'' is also translated as "belt", "sash" or "girdle".

Tradition

According to

Eastern Christian Eastern Christianity comprises Christianity, Christian traditions and Christian denomination, church families that originally developed during Classical antiquity, classical and late antiquity in the Eastern Mediterranean region or locations fu ...

tradition, the Virgin Mary was taken (assumed) into heaven in the presence of all apostles except

Thomas Thomas may refer to: People * List of people with given name Thomas * Thomas (name) * Thomas (surname) * Saint Thomas (disambiguation) * Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274) Italian Dominican friar, philosopher, and Doctor of the Church * Thomas the A ...

, who was in India. He returned to

Jerusalem Jerusalem is a city in the Southern Levant, on a plateau in the Judaean Mountains between the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean and the Dead Sea. It is one of the List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest cities in the world, and ...

and travelled on the sky by the help of

Holy Spirit The Holy Spirit, otherwise known as the Holy Ghost, is a concept within the Abrahamic religions. In Judaism, the Holy Spirit is understood as the divine quality or force of God manifesting in the world, particularly in acts of prophecy, creati ...

to attend the

assumption of Mary The Assumption of Mary is one of the four Catholic Mariology#Dogmatic teachings, Marian dogmas of the Catholic Church. Pope Pius XII defined it on 1 November 1950 in his apostolic constitution as follows: It leaves open the question of w ...

. He was late to arrive and visualised that Mary's body had been taken by angels. Suffering from doubts at that time, Thomas requested Mary to give him a sign in her memory, which caused a

chariot A chariot is a type of vehicle similar to a cart, driven by a charioteer, usually using horses to provide rapid Propulsion, motive power. The oldest known chariots have been found in burials of the Sintashta culture in modern-day Chelyabinsk O ...

to stop in the air and Mary to gift her girdle to him. Thomas showed this girdle to other disciples of

and convinced them. He took the girdle, otherwise known as a ''Zunoro'', on his subsequent journeys. Those who believe in him claim that many miracles have happened since then as a result of touching or even seeing this girdle. The incident is not recorded in the Bible. The Holy Girdle is taken out annually on the last day of 8 Day Lent in September.

History

Saint Thomas the Apostle kept the holy belt with his own. After he died in

Mylapore Mylapore (also spelt Mayilapur), or Thirumayilai, is a neighbourhood in the central part of the city of Chennai, India. It is one of the oldest residential parts of the city. The locality is claimed to be the birthplace of the celebrated Tamil ...

, his body and relics were kept in India. In 394 AD, the holy girdle moved from India to Uraha (modern

Urfa Urfa, officially called Şanlıurfa (), is a city in southeastern Turkey and the capital of Şanlıurfa Province. The city was known as Edessa from Hellenistic period, Hellenistic times and into Christian times. Urfa is situated on a plain abo ...

, Turkey). and then to Homs in Syria, where it was placed in

Saint Mary Church of the Holy Belt Saint Mary of the Holy Belt (Um Al Zennar) Cathedral (, shortened to ; ') is a historical Syriac Orthodox cathedral in Homs, Syria. It is the seat of the Syriac Orthodox Archdiocese of Homs, Syriac Orthodox Archbishop of Homs and Hama. This is o ...

, also known as The Church of the Lady of the Girdle. The supreme head,

Ignatius Aphrem I Barsoum Mor Ignatius Aphrem I Barsoum (, , June 15, 1887 – June 23, 1957) was the 120th Syriac Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch and head of the Syriac Orthodox Church from 1933 until his death in 1957. He was consecrated as a Metropolitan and as a Patriarc ...

Patriarch of Antioch The Patriarch of Antioch is a traditional title held by the bishop of Antioch (modern-day Antakya, Turkey). As the traditional "overseer" (, , from which the word ''bishop'' is derived) of the first gentile Christian community, the position has ...

, studied manuscripts and a

Garshuni Garshuni or Karshuni (Syriac alphabet: , Arabic alphabet: ) are Arabic writings using the Syriac alphabet. The word "Garshuni", derived from the word "grasha" which literally translates as "pulling", was used by George Kiraz to coin the term " gar ...

an book containing stories and speeches sent by the people of

Homs Homs ( ; ), known in pre-Islamic times as Emesa ( ; ), is a city in western Syria and the capital of the Homs Governorate. It is Metres above sea level, above sea level and is located north of Damascus. Located on the Orontes River, Homs is ...

in 1852. The archbishop of Homs ordered to renovate the church. On 20 July 1953, the Holy Girdle was discovered from the altar of the church by Barsoum in the presence of Alexandros, the Greek Orthodox bishop of Homs and it is existence is proven. It is considered to be one of the most important relics in

Malankara Church

Some parts of Holy Girdle have been distributed throughout the

Malankara Church The Malankara Church, also known as Malankara Syrian Church, was the unified body of '' Puthankur'' Saint Thomas Christians who claim origins from the missions of Thomas the Apostle. This community, under the leadership of Thoma I, oppos ...

. The churches in which the relics are installed are known as Soonoro Church. These include: * Angamaly Soonoro Cathedral. * *

Manarcad Church St. Mary's Jacobite Syrian Cathedral, Manarcad, is cathedral located in Manarcad, about 9 km from the town of Kottayam in Kerala, India. It is a destination for people on annual pilgrimages for the uncanonical 8 Day Lent of the Virgin ...

–

Jacobite Syrian Christian Church The Jacobite Syrian Christian Church, also known as the Malankara Syriac Orthodox Church, Malankara Jacobite Syrian Church, or the Syriac Orthodox Church in India is an autonomous maphrianate of the Syriac Orthodox Church, Syriac Orthodo ...

, Universal Marian Pilgrim Centrer. * * Kottayam Cheriapally Maha Edavaka ( St Mary's Orthodox Church, Kottayam,

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 ...

). * Martha Mariam Cathedral Valiya Pally, Kothamangalam. * Mor Ignathious Noorono Syrian Simhasana Church, Mekkadampu. *

Jacobite Syrian Cathedral Kundara St. Mary's Jacobite Syrian Cathedral, in Kollam District, Kerala, India is a Jacobite Syrian Christian Church The Jacobite Syrian Christian Church, also known as the Malankara Syriac Orthodox Church, Malankara Jacobite Syrian Church, ...

– Kollam Diocese of

. * *Mor Gregorios Jacobite Syrian Orthodox Cathedral

Mettuguda Mettuguda is a neighbourhood in Secunderabad city in the Indian state of Telangana. Mettuguda is divided into three regions: Mettuguda, Alugadda Bbavi and New Mettuguda. These are divided by Mettuguda Y Junction. Hindu temples there include Te ...

(

Secunderabad Secunderabad () is a twin cities, twin city of Hyderabad and one of the six zones of the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) in the States and union territories of India, Indian state of Telangana. It is the headquarters of the South ...

). * St Mary's Jacobite Syrian Valiyapally. * St. Mary's Church Meenangadi E.A.E Archdiocese of the Syriac Orthodox Church. * St. Mary's Jacobite Syrian Church, Poothamkutty. *St. Mary's Jacobite Syrian Church, Varikoli

Gallery

File:Zoonoroinhoms.jpg,

File:Holy Girdle.jpg, Holy girdle of St. Mary's Cathedral, Kundara

References

{{coord missing, Syria Christian relics Christian iconography Belts (clothing) Syriac Orthodox Church *

Tradition

History

Malankara Church

Gallery

See also

References