Thrikkunnathu Seminary
Encyclopedia
Thrikkunathu Seminary is an historic former seminary
and closed church in the Thrikkunnathu neighbourhood of Aluva
, Ernakulam
. Owing to an ownership dispute between the Indian (Malankara) Orthodox and Jacobite Syrian
Christian churches both the seminary and its Saint Mary’s Church building were closed in December 1977. The church is a pilgrimage
site for Jacobite Syrian Christians in India.
acquired 18 acres (72,843.5 m²) of land for construction of the church and a cornerstone was laid in 1889. The church began as a small building thatched with coconut
leaves which was slowly built out in the early 1900s. Paulose Mar Athanasius
built the current St Mary's Church in the early 1930s. The Syriac Orthodox Church
canonized him as a saint
at Damascus
in August 2004. Mar Athanasius both gave away and sold at very low cost much of his inherited land so that Syrian Christians settling in the area could live near the church. The western side of the building was enlarged in 1964. Inside are the tombs of three 19th and 20th century Syrian Christian metropolitan bishop
s, Kadavil Paulose Mar Athanasius
(d 1907), Saint Paulose Mar Athanasius (d 1953) and Mor Gregorios Geevarghese Vayaliparambil (d 1966).
On the 25th and 26 January each year thousands of pilgrims gather at St Mary's Church to take part in dukrono celebrations for its builder, Saint Paulose Mar Athanasius, who has been called "one of the most revered metropolitans" of the Jacobite Syrian Christian Church
"after Gheevarghese Mar Gregorios of Parumala."
began a long journey of mediation throughout India by staying at the new seminary, after first calling on British officials Lord Irwin in Delhi
and George Stanley
at Madras.
A second floor was added in 1956. From its opening in 1931 until the 1970s Thrikkunnathu Seminary was a notable Malankara teaching facility for clergy
in the northern dioceses of the Indian Orthodox Church. Throughout these decades it was also the only full seminary for Jacobite Syrian Christians and as such, later noted as the "headquarters" of the Jacobite Syrian Christian Church in India.
had been diocesan head of the Orthodox church body since the late 1960s. The seminary building, church and grounds stayed with the Indian Orthodox Church. Ownership was disputed in the aftermath and two years later, on 6 December 1977 the seminary and church were closed. The Syrian Hostel was renamed and put to other use. Indian Orthodox metropolitans still reside in the seminary building.
In 1997 Philipose Theophilose, a metropolitan of the Indian Orthodox Church, died while staying at the old seminary building and was entombed next to the church. This tomb was later rebuilt as another room of the church building itself.
Since the early 1980s Jacobite Syrian Christians in Aluva have worshipped in a rented building called Mass Hall hall not far from St Mary's Church. In 1990 the Jacobite Syrian Christian Church opened the Malankara Syrian Orthodox Seminary
in new buildings about 25 kilometres south at Udayagiri, Mulanthuruthy
in Ernakulam
.
Mediation
efforts to settle disagreements over the use of St Mary's Church have been unsuccessful. On 3 July 2005, one month and a half before the first anniversary of Mar Athanasius' canonization as a saint, local police were called to the closed church when violence broke out over the long standing ownership dispute. A government lawyer's automobile was set on fire, priests and others were reportedly hurt and there were claims of police brutality
. In January 2009 the church had been closed for over 31 years when The New Indian Express, after speaking with a spokesman for the Indian Orthodox church, reported that "the Orthodox faction was not averse to letting the faithful of both factions worship in the Church, but the top Church officials of the Jacobite faction cannot be allowed in."
In January 2006, the Hindu reported that "A meeting of various groups under the Orthodox Church on Sunday at the seminary said that they would protect the seminary property at any cost and warned that the Government would be responsible for the fall out of anyone using force to enter the seminary premises."
In January 2007, the Hindu further reported that "Catholicos of the East and Malankara Metropolitan Moran Mor Baselios Mar Thoma Didymos I, on Tuesday, warned the Government that the path of peace and tolerance being adopted by Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church in the Thrikkunnathu Seminary row should not be taken as weakness" and "The Catholicos alleged that the Government decision permitting entry of Baselios Thomas I and other metropolitans of Jacobite Syrian Christian Church into the disputed Thrikkunnathu Seminary church was 'hideously diabolic.'"
Seminary
A seminary, theological college, or divinity school is an institution of secondary or post-secondary education for educating students in theology, generally to prepare them for ordination as clergy or for other ministry...
and closed church in the Thrikkunnathu neighbourhood of Aluva
Aluva
Aluva , is a suburb of the city of Kochi, situated north of the city center and a municipality in Ernakulam district, Kerala, India. Aluva is also a major industrial center of the state....
, Ernakulam
Ernakulam
Ernakulam refers to the downtown area or the western part of the mainland of Kochi city in Kerala, India. The city is the most urban part of Kochi and has lent its name to the Ernakulam district. Ernakulam is called the commercial capital of the state of Kerala and is a main nerve of business in...
. Owing to an ownership dispute between the Indian (Malankara) Orthodox and Jacobite Syrian
Jacobite Syrian Christian Church
The Jacobite Syrian Christian Church is part of the Syriac Orthodox Church, located in Kerala, India. It recognizes the Syriac Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch, currently Ignatius Zakka I Iwas, as its supreme head. It functions as a largely autonomous archdiocese within the church, under the authority...
Christian churches both the seminary and its Saint Mary’s Church building were closed in December 1977. The church is a pilgrimage
Pilgrimage
A pilgrimage is a journey or search of great moral or spiritual significance. Typically, it is a journey to a shrine or other location of importance to a person's beliefs and faith...
site for Jacobite Syrian Christians in India.
St Mary's Church
In 1880 the Malankara ChurchMalankara Church
The Malankara Church is the church of the Saint Thomas Christians of Kerala, India, with particular emphasis on the part of the community that joined Archdeacon Mar Thoma in swearing to resist the authority of the Portuguese Padroado in 1653...
acquired 18 acres (72,843.5 m²) of land for construction of the church and a cornerstone was laid in 1889. The church began as a small building thatched with coconut
Coconut
The coconut palm, Cocos nucifera, is a member of the family Arecaceae . It is the only accepted species in the genus Cocos. The term coconut can refer to the entire coconut palm, the seed, or the fruit, which is not a botanical nut. The spelling cocoanut is an old-fashioned form of the word...
leaves which was slowly built out in the early 1900s. Paulose Mar Athanasius
Paulose Mar Athanasius
Paulose Mar Athanasius was Metropolitan of the Diocese of Angamaly in the Jacobite Syrian Christian Church. He was canonised as a saint of the Syriac Orthodox Church in 2004....
built the current St Mary's Church in the early 1930s. The Syriac Orthodox Church
Syriac Orthodox Church
The Syriac Orthodox Church; is an autocephalous Oriental Orthodox church based in the Eastern Mediterranean, with members spread throughout the world. The Syriac Orthodox Church claims to derive its origin from one of the first Christian communities, established in Antioch by the Apostle St....
canonized him as a saint
Saint
A saint is a holy person. In various religions, saints are people who are believed to have exceptional holiness.In Christian usage, "saint" refers to any believer who is "in Christ", and in whom Christ dwells, whether in heaven or in earth...
at Damascus
Damascus
Damascus , commonly known in Syria as Al Sham , and as the City of Jasmine , is the capital and the second largest city of Syria after Aleppo, both are part of the country's 14 governorates. In addition to being one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world, Damascus is a major...
in August 2004. Mar Athanasius both gave away and sold at very low cost much of his inherited land so that Syrian Christians settling in the area could live near the church. The western side of the building was enlarged in 1964. Inside are the tombs of three 19th and 20th century Syrian Christian metropolitan bishop
Metropolitan bishop
In Christian churches with episcopal polity, the rank of metropolitan bishop, or simply metropolitan, pertains to the diocesan bishop or archbishop of a metropolis; that is, the chief city of a historical Roman province, ecclesiastical province, or regional capital.Before the establishment of...
s, Kadavil Paulose Mar Athanasius
Kadavil Paulose Mar Athanasius
First Metropolitan of Ankamali diocese ordained for the diocese of Kottayam after its formation in 1876 as per the decision of the historic Mulanthuruthy Synod. From 1891 onwards he assumed the additional responsibility of Ankamali, the largest diocese in the Malankara church. It was during the...
(d 1907), Saint Paulose Mar Athanasius (d 1953) and Mor Gregorios Geevarghese Vayaliparambil (d 1966).
On the 25th and 26 January each year thousands of pilgrims gather at St Mary's Church to take part in dukrono celebrations for its builder, Saint Paulose Mar Athanasius, who has been called "one of the most revered metropolitans" of the Jacobite Syrian Christian Church
Jacobite Syrian Christian Church
The Jacobite Syrian Christian Church is part of the Syriac Orthodox Church, located in Kerala, India. It recognizes the Syriac Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch, currently Ignatius Zakka I Iwas, as its supreme head. It functions as a largely autonomous archdiocese within the church, under the authority...
"after Gheevarghese Mar Gregorios of Parumala."
Seminary
A cornerstone for the seminary was laid down in 1904. An English middle school was also planned but never built. Like the newer church building, the seminary was finished and opened by Mar Athanasius in 1930-31. A dormitory for seminary students called the Syrian Hostel was also built nearby. In the spring of 1931 Syriac Orthodox Patriarch Ignatius Elias IIIIgnatius Elias III
Mor Ignatius Elias III was the 119th Syriac Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch from 1917 to 1932. He died and is buried at the monastery of Manjanikkara Dayara in Kerala, India, where there is a considerable number of Syriac Orthodox Christians...
began a long journey of mediation throughout India by staying at the new seminary, after first calling on British officials Lord Irwin in Delhi
Delhi
Delhi , officially National Capital Territory of Delhi , is the largest metropolis by area and the second-largest by population in India, next to Mumbai. It is the eighth largest metropolis in the world by population with 16,753,265 inhabitants in the Territory at the 2011 Census...
and George Stanley
George Frederick Stanley
Lieutenant-Colonel Sir George Frederick Stanley GCSI GCIE CMG was a British soldier and Conservative Party politician who served as a member of the UK Parliament for Preston and later, Willesdon East...
at Madras.
A second floor was added in 1956. From its opening in 1931 until the 1970s Thrikkunnathu Seminary was a notable Malankara teaching facility for clergy
Clergy
Clergy is the generic term used to describe the formal religious leadership within a given religion. A clergyman, churchman or cleric is a member of the clergy, especially one who is a priest, preacher, pastor, or other religious professional....
in the northern dioceses of the Indian Orthodox Church. Throughout these decades it was also the only full seminary for Jacobite Syrian Christians and as such, later noted as the "headquarters" of the Jacobite Syrian Christian Church in India.
Closing and later history
When the Jacobite Syrian Christian Church split again from the Indian Orthodox Church in 1975, the seminary's resident metropolitan bishopMetropolitan bishop
In Christian churches with episcopal polity, the rank of metropolitan bishop, or simply metropolitan, pertains to the diocesan bishop or archbishop of a metropolis; that is, the chief city of a historical Roman province, ecclesiastical province, or regional capital.Before the establishment of...
had been diocesan head of the Orthodox church body since the late 1960s. The seminary building, church and grounds stayed with the Indian Orthodox Church. Ownership was disputed in the aftermath and two years later, on 6 December 1977 the seminary and church were closed. The Syrian Hostel was renamed and put to other use. Indian Orthodox metropolitans still reside in the seminary building.
In 1997 Philipose Theophilose, a metropolitan of the Indian Orthodox Church, died while staying at the old seminary building and was entombed next to the church. This tomb was later rebuilt as another room of the church building itself.
Since the early 1980s Jacobite Syrian Christians in Aluva have worshipped in a rented building called Mass Hall hall not far from St Mary's Church. In 1990 the Jacobite Syrian Christian Church opened the Malankara Syrian Orthodox Seminary
Malankara Syrian Orthodox Seminary
Malankara Syrian Orthodox Seminary is a theological seminary for the Jacobite Syrian Christian Church at Mulanthuruthy, Ernakulam in India. Opened in 1990, the seminary buildings are clustered on Udayagiri hill in the village of Vettickal....
in new buildings about 25 kilometres south at Udayagiri, Mulanthuruthy
Mulanthuruthy
Mulanthuruthy, also spelt Mulamthuruthy, is a small town in Ernakulam District of Kerala. It is about 21 km south-east of Ernakulam and 8 km east of Tripunithura....
in Ernakulam
Ernakulam
Ernakulam refers to the downtown area or the western part of the mainland of Kochi city in Kerala, India. The city is the most urban part of Kochi and has lent its name to the Ernakulam district. Ernakulam is called the commercial capital of the state of Kerala and is a main nerve of business in...
.
Mediation
Mediation
Mediation, as used in law, is a form of alternative dispute resolution , a way of resolving disputes between two or more parties. A third party, the mediator, assists the parties to negotiate their own settlement...
efforts to settle disagreements over the use of St Mary's Church have been unsuccessful. On 3 July 2005, one month and a half before the first anniversary of Mar Athanasius' canonization as a saint, local police were called to the closed church when violence broke out over the long standing ownership dispute. A government lawyer's automobile was set on fire, priests and others were reportedly hurt and there were claims of police brutality
Police brutality
Police brutality is the intentional use of excessive force, usually physical, but potentially also in the form of verbal attacks and psychological intimidation, by a police officer....
. In January 2009 the church had been closed for over 31 years when The New Indian Express, after speaking with a spokesman for the Indian Orthodox church, reported that "the Orthodox faction was not averse to letting the faithful of both factions worship in the Church, but the top Church officials of the Jacobite faction cannot be allowed in."
In January 2006, the Hindu reported that "A meeting of various groups under the Orthodox Church on Sunday at the seminary said that they would protect the seminary property at any cost and warned that the Government would be responsible for the fall out of anyone using force to enter the seminary premises."
In January 2007, the Hindu further reported that "Catholicos of the East and Malankara Metropolitan Moran Mor Baselios Mar Thoma Didymos I, on Tuesday, warned the Government that the path of peace and tolerance being adopted by Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church in the Thrikkunnathu Seminary row should not be taken as weakness" and "The Catholicos alleged that the Government decision permitting entry of Baselios Thomas I and other metropolitans of Jacobite Syrian Christian Church into the disputed Thrikkunnathu Seminary church was 'hideously diabolic.'"