Kadamattom Church is an ancient

Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church The Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church (MOSC) also known as the Indian Orthodox Church (IOC) or simply as the Malankara Church, is an Autocephaly, autocephalous Oriental Orthodox Churches, Oriental Orthodox church headquartered in #Catholicate ...

, located in Kadamattom,

Kolenchery Kolenchery is a town in the Poothrikka gram panchayat in Ernakulam district, Kerala. Located on National Highway 85, Kolenchery is situated from Poothrikka and from Kochi. There have been plans to include Kolenchery as part of the Kochi metr ...

near

Muvattupuzha Muvattupuzha () is a Municipalities of Kerala, municipalityhttps://lsgkerala.gov.in/system/files/2017-10/localbodies.pdf in the Ernakulam district of Kerala, India. It is located east of the district headquarters in Thrikkakara and a ...

, in

Ernakulam Ernakulam () is the central business district of the city of Kochi, Kerala, India. It is the namesake of Ernakulam district. The eastern part of Kochi city is mainly known as Ernakulam, while the western part of it after the Venduruthy Bridge ...

district,

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.

History

The church is believed to have been established in the 9th century by Mar Abo, an Assyrian monk.

Location

Kadamattom church is situated next to

National Highway 49 (India) National Highway 49 (combination of old NH 6 and NH 200) is a primary National Highway in India. This highway runs from Bilaspur in the Indian state of Chhattisgarh to Kharagpur in West Bengal. Starting from NH 130 near Bilaspur, it terminat ...

(Kochi-Madurai National Highway) between

and

towns in the Ernakulam District. While travelling from

Kochi Kochi ( , ), List of renamed Indian cities and states#Kerala, formerly known as Cochin ( ), is a major port city along the Malabar Coast of India bordering the Laccadive Sea. It is part of the Ernakulam district, district of Ernakulam in the ...

towards the east, the church is seen on the north side of the road beyond the

Medical College Junction. While travelling from Muvattupuzha towards Kolenchery, the church lies after the Peruvammuzhi Junction.

Features

On entering the church, on the left, there is an icon of Mar Abo Metropolitan, who was the mentor of Rev. Fr. Paulose ( Kadamattathu Kathanar). It is believed that Mar Abo, a Persian high priest established the church with the help of Kartha, the then local ruler of Kadamattom. Mar Abo was not only a theologian but also a conjurer. He stayed in a hut with a poor widow and her only son Paulose. Paulose assisted Mar Abo for years and later Paulose was ordained a priest. The tomb of

Mar Thoma IX Mar Thoma IX was the ninth Metropolitan of the Malankara Church in Kerala, India for a brief period in 1816. That year, he was consecrated Metropolitan by Mar Thoma VIII, but soon after his ordination he was dethroned by Pulikkottil Joseph who w ...

(formerly Pakalomattom Iype Kathanar) lies on the left side just outside the Madbaha or altar room. A 9th-century stone Persian cross with four equal-size arms sits on the right wall of the Madbaha or altar room. The arms are tipped with floral designs and are claimed to have been made by Mar Abo. Around the cross is engraved a

Pahlavi Pahlavi may refer to: Iranian royalty *Seven Parthian clans, ruling Parthian families during the Sasanian Empire *Pahlavi dynasty, the ruling house of Imperial State of Persia/Iran from 1925 until 1979 **Reza Shah Pahlavi (1878–1944), Shah of ...

inscription. Kadamattom feast is one of the major festivals observed during the January – February period. It marks the death anniversary of Mar Abo. File:Kadamattom church pallimeda 2.jpg, Pallimeda or Priest's residence File:Mukhappu Kadamattom pally.jpg, Mukhappu- Kadamattom Church File:Chithrappani 2.jpg, Wood work File:Poyyedom church.jpg, Poyyedom chapel of Kadamattom Church File:Kadamatom church kerala.jpg, File:കടമറ്റം‍പള്ളി-അൾത്താര.jpg, Altar File:Persian Cross Kadamatam church.jpg, Old Persian Cross

References

External links

Official Website of St. George Orthodox Church, Kadmattom
Churches in Ernakulam district {{Malankara-Orthodox-Syrian-struct-stub