Refurbished Udayamperoor synod church to be blessed on Thursday

Sts. Gervasis & Prothasis Church, Udayamperoor, to be blessed Thurs. No drastic alterations made; Church believed to have been built in 13th century. Diocesan Synod of Udayamperoor (1599) redrew practices of St. Thomas Christian Church. Latinisation of liturgy under Portuguese missionaries led to schism in 17th century. Museum to be operational in refurbished Church; believed to be burial sites of kings, bishops & senior leaders.

The refurbished Sts. Gervasis and Prothasis Church, popularly known as the Church of Udayamperoor Synod, will be blessed on Thursday. The blessing of the church will be followed by a general assembly of the parishioners on Sunday, said parish priest Father George Manikkathan.

He said that care had been taken to ensure that the history and legacy of the Udayamperoor church is intact. No drastic alterations have been made. The original church on the spot where the present church is located is believed to have been built in the 13th century. There are no extant details on the building of the church, Father Maikkathan added.

History buffs point out that the diocesan Synod of Udayamperoor in June 1599 was a turning point in the history of Christianity in Kerala. The synod redrew the practices of the St. Thomas Christian Church, laying down new rules and regulations.

The synod brought the Malabar Church under the Padroado mission and introduced Latinisation of the liturgy under supervision of the Portuguese missionaries. This in turn led to strong protests from local Christians culminating in the Oath of Koonankurisu in Mattancherry (1653), which led to a schism in the Church in the 17th century.

Louis Kuriakose, a major benefactor of the Church, said that the Church’s legacy had been taken care of given its history. A museum would also be operational as part of the refurbished church, he added.

It is believed that one of the kings of Villarvattom, a local Christian royal clan, had been buried inside the church. Two of the tomb stones found inside the church apparently adhere to this belief. There are also three tombstones that are believed to be that of the burial sites of bishops or senior leaders of the Church.