St. Mary's Orthodox Cathedral, Pazhanji

St. Mary's Orthodox Cathedral, Pazhanji
Old church building
Religion
Affiliation	Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church
District	Thrissur
Province	Kerala
Ecclesiastical or organizational status	Cathedral
Location
Location	Pazhanji, Kunnamkulam, India
Architecture
Type	Church
Style	Kerala Architecture
Website
https://www.pazhanjicathedral.com/

Pazhanji Church, officially known as St. Mary's Orthodox Cathedral, Pazhanji or Pazhanji Cathedral, is a Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church situated at Pazhanji near Kunnamkulam in Thrissur District of Kerala, India. The Church is locally called " Pazhanji Palli " (In Malayalam : പഴഞ്ഞി പള്ളി ) "Palli" [similar to the Malayalam word for "Church"].

Four frescoes which had long been hidden by whitewash, believed to be 250 years old, were discovered in 2018. They were being restored in 2018.^[1][2][3]

History

The church is said to have been constructed by believers who fled from Arthat and later settled and constructed the church^{[citation needed]}. It is how the name Pazhanji (Malayalam meaning Old boat) came into being for the place. According to the church's website, the ancestors of today's members of the Pazhanji Church earlier belonged to the Kunnamkulam Arthat Church. The first chapel founded in Pazhanji was situated in the northern side of the present church^{[citation needed]}, whereas the chapel founded in the southern side. Both chapels are dedicated to St. Mary. There is a cemetery near the church.^[4] On 13 September 2015, the Pazhanji Cathedral was declared as the second cathedral of the Kunnamkulam diocese^{[citation needed]}, the first being St. Mary's Cathedral, Arthat. On 28 July 2022, seven metropolitans were concentrated in this church. There were 31 bishops as of 2022.^[5]

See also

• St. Mary's Orthodox Cathedral, Arthat
• Pazhanji

References

1. "Antique paintings in church being retrieved". Deccan Chronicle. 16 September 2018.
2. "250-year-old frescoes at church getting a rebirth". The Hindu. 19 September 2018.
3. "Centuries-old mural discovered in Thrissur cathedral". Onmanorama. 26 March 2018.
4. Pazhanji church website. "Welcome to Pazhanji Cathedral". Retrieved 1 August 2018.
5. "Seven bishops consecrated in Malankara Orthodox Church". The Times of India. 2022-07-29. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 2023-07-13.