The revolt against the sovereignty of the portuguese by the mar thoma christians had created a crucial situation through the coonan cross oath coonan kurisu sathyam of 1653, and it ended on splitting the community. History of christianity in kerala christianity kerala tourism. Malankara orthodox syrian church was founded by st. The mar thoma church christians catholic answers forums. This church was built on the land where the historical koonan kurishu sathyam coonan cross oath took place in ad 1653. Under the leadership of malanakra mooppen thomas, nazranis around cochin gathered at mattancherry church on friday, january 24, 1653 m. This revolt led to the emergence of two distinct sections among the christians. Thomas, the apostle, who landed at cranganore muziris in 52 ad and founded seven christian communities in kerala, at palayur, cranganore, kokkamangalam, kottakavu parur, quilon, niranam, and chayal. The coonan cross oath koonan kurishu satyam, taken on 3 january 1653, 1 was a public avowal by members of the saint thomas christians community of modernday kerala, india that they would not submit to roman pope and latin. Rome sent him to india a second time ordaining him archbishop. Against the threats of latinization, the thomas christians struggled to preserve their faith and traditions.
The malankara church and all its successor churches regard this declaration, known as the coonan cross oath malayalam. The coonan cross oath koonan kurishu satyam, taken on 3 january 1653. The coonan cross oath koonan kurishu satyam, taken on 3 january 1653, was a public avowal by members of the saint thomas christian community of kerala, india that they would not submit to portuguese dominance in ecclesiastical and secular life. The legendary koonan kurish sathyam coonan cross oath and the celebrated mattancherry leaning cross old syrian church affirm the spirit of independence,self reliance and the universally accepted cultural heritage of the malankara nazrani christians. Syro malabar church after coonan cross oath vicariates and. After the coonan cross oath, between 1661 and 1662, out of the 116 churches, the catholics claimed eightyfour churches, and the archdeacon mar thoma i with thirtytwo churches. Background the coonan cross oath koonan kurishu satyam, taken on january 3, 1653, was a public avowal by members of the saint thomas christian community of kerala, india that they would not submit to portuguese dominance in ecclesiastical and secular life. I only did a copy and paste from the link i cited as source. Coonan in malayalam means bent the cross bent to one side during the oath taking ceremony. The excited syrians assembled in thousands in front of an ancient cross in mattancherri, tied a lengthy rope on it and holding on to it swore that they would never more obey the latin archbishop or the jesuits. Who was responsible for the coonan cross oath and the schism. The coonan cross oath koonan kurishu satyam in malayalam language, taken on 3 january 1653, was a public avowal by members of the saint thomas christians community of modernday kerala, india that they would not submit to the jesuits and latin catholic portuguese padroado dominance in ecclesiastical and secular life.
This book is a treasure of the history of kerala and also that of the christians in kerala of that period. In an age when no motorized transports were available and mass communication was impossible, 20,000 gathered at a church in mattanchery and held on to a rope tied to the cross in front of the church to take a solemn oath, the coonan kurishu cross oath, to never come under the yoke of portuguese imperialists and stick to the practice of eastern. The swearing of the oath was a major event in the history of the saint thomas christian community and marked a major turning point in its. Anglican protestant missionary, from scotland in his book a history of christianity in india. Jan 25, 2018 coonan cross oath, coonan cross, leaning cross oath. Many historians point out that the immediate cause for the coonan cross oath and. The coonan cross oath koonan kurishu satyam, taken on january 3, 1653,1 was a public avowal by members of the saint thomas christian community of kerala, india that they would not submit to portuguese dominance in ecclesiastical and secular life. They tied ropes to the granite cross in front of the church and by touching the ropes, took an oath severing their connection with the roman catholic church. The eightyfour churches and their congregations were the body from which the syro malabar catholic church have descended. What is coonan cross oath with respect to kerala christian history. Synod of diamper or udayamperppr synod history of christian.
All the thomas christians except a few 400 or 500 or 4000 adhered to those who had taken the coonan cross oath on friday, january 3rd. Those migrated to kandanad, mulamthuruthy and some other places, after the coonan cross oath became jacobites and now they belong to different syrian, orthodox, oriental and other churches in belief. The coonan cross oath koonan kurishu satyam, taken on 3 january 1653, was a public avowal by members of the saint thomas christians community of modernday kerala, india that they would not submit to roman pope and latin catholic portuguese padroado dominance in ecclesiastical and secular life. The syromalabar church is an apostolic church which traces its origin to the st. The coonan cross oath, taken on 3 january 1653, was a public avowal by members of the saint thomas christians community of modernday kerala, india that they would not submit to roman pope and latin catholic portuguese padroado dominance in ecclesiastical and secular life. This is known in history as the oath of the coonan cross.
The coonan cross oath taken on 3 january 1653, was a public avowal by members of the. The portuguese who were masters of the sea in those days, many a time intercepted their letters of appeal for syrian prelates and there were occasions when attempts of middle eastern clergy to come to malankara were physically. According to tradition, out of a population of 200,000 st. Koonan kurishu sathyam coonan cross oath jan 1653 st thomas christians started their efforts to get a metropolitan from the eastern church for reestablishing their freedom. The coonan cross oath koonan kurishu satyam, taken on january 3, 1653, 1 was a public avowal by members of the saint thomas christian community of kerala, india that they would not submit to portuguese dominance in ecclesiastical and secular life. Kochi was the centre of indian spice trade for many centuries, because of her rich spice history kochi was attracted by most of the foreign traders. By the force of pull, the cross got slanted hence the name coonan slanted cross oath. Thomas christians, only 400 remained loyal to the roman arch bishop garcia. The church of st thomas christians, which remained one and united for more than fifteen centuries, was split into divergent and conflicting groups after the coonan cross oath in 1653.
It is one of the churches of indias saint thomas christian community, which has its origin in the evangelical activity of thomas the apostle in the 1st century. The coonan cross oath was taken in 1653, by a part of saint thomas. Many historians point out that the immediate cause for the coonan cross oath and the subsequent event was the incarcertion by the portuguese, of the syrian bishop ahathulla, who wanted to reach kerala. After the coonan cross oath, between 1661 and 1662, out of the 116 churches, the old party reclaimed eightyfour churches, leaving archdeacon mar thoma i only thirtytwo churches. The syrian books were scrutinized and the heretical books were burnt.
Coonan cross oath of ad 1653, mattancherry, kochi, kerala, india the st. Mar thoma i, the leader of the coonan cross oath st george orthodox koonan kurishu old syrian church, kochi, mattancherry located at the exact site of the oath. Kerala christians boast of a history and culture as old as christianity. Pazhayakuru, the romosyrians who continued to owe allegiance to the church of rome, and the puthankuru, the jacobite syrians who denounced the authority of the pope. After the bent cross, the syrian church split in to two. The coonan cross oath koonan kurissu sathyam which was a turning point in the case of the christians, who held angamaly as their headquarters, is considered to be a reaction to the synod of diamper. George koilparampil in 2004 are visual models of the synod of diamper, the coonan cross oath and a scene from a syrian. At a meeting held at alangad on may 22, 1653, one faction swore that they would not accept francis garcia metropolitan. All moved to mattancherry near cochin tied a long rope as tradition says to the open ari cross called the coonan cross and holding the rope swore they would never be under the paulists. The church serves indias saint thomas christian also known as nasrani population.
Learn major revolts in the history of kerala for psc exams. History has it that a sizeable number of kerala christians swore, by attaching. Kerala syrian christian, thomas the apostle in india, the. Jacobite faction reenacts historic coonan cross oath kochi news. This incident is known as the oath of coonan cross. Since the above book may not be readily available, the full text of chapter 1, giving a brief history of our malankara orthodox church is given below 3 pages. People who wished for freedom from the supremacy of the roman catholic church tried to get a bishop from babylon. Rome has sent carmelites in two groups from the propagation of the faith to malabar headed by fr. Under the influence of the portuguese empire a synod was convened at udayamperoor near ernakulam in 1599 and the malankara church was made part of the roman catholic church. Yesterday on the 363rd anniversary of the coonan cross oath, nalloor library visited the coonan kurishu palli bent cross church or known as the holy cross church in the narrow lanes of of the old town of mattancherry,cochin, india.
The coonan cross oath koonan kurishu satyam, taken on 3 january 1653, was a public avowal by members of the saint thomas christians community of modernday kerala, india that they would not submit to roman pope and latin catholic portuguese padroado dominance in. History of christianity in kerala christianity kerala. Then came the coonan cross oath rejecting the roman supremacy over the st. Koonan kurishu church at mattancherry, kochi is a revered pilgrim center where coonan cross oath took place and holy relics of st. According to tradition, the church originated in the. Video profile of historic holy cross church of koonan kurishu satyam slanting cross oath, on 3rd jan 1653. The pazhayakoor christians after the coonan cross oath 6. The koonan kurishu old syrian church of mattancherry, one of the oldest churches in india has played a significant role in the historic event that shaped the leadership of the malankara church, as it is today. Study notes for attingal revolt, mozhara strike, mayyazhi janakiya samaram, utharavada prakshobham, thonnuttamand revolt or ooruttambalam revolt, nedumangad chantha revolt, revolts of pazhasiraja, kurichyar revolt, villuvandi samaram bullock cart strike, kallumala samaram stone necklace protest or perinad lahala, thali temple. Its roof is endowed with ancient carvings on teak wood. It converted many jews and hindus who lived in kerala. The coonan cross oath koonan kurishu satyam, taken on january 3, 1653,1. Thomas, one of the apostles of christ, is believed to be the founder of the religion in india in ce 52. The persian church of the east patriarch shemon vii ishoyahbs unpopularity led to the schism of 1552.
Everyone wanted to touch the cross,instead people touched the ropes tied to the cross. The holy cross has illuminated, and it decorated the sky with stars and showed everything like the sun. History of kerala syrian christian, saint thomas the apostle in india, the tomb of the apostles at mylapore, hierarchical dependence on the persian church, syond of diamper coonan cross oath, subsequent divisions in the. Nasrani history,traditions,culture of saint thomas christians of india, the most ancient christians of india who hails their origin to saint thomas the apostle.
James ussher, archbishop of armagh, ireland, is born. Divisions and rite of the churches syro malabar church, malankara syriac orthodox church,malankara orthodox syriac church, thozhiyur church, malankara mar thoma syrian church, syro malankara church, chaldean syrain church syond of diamper, nsc network. Other attractions in the synod museum designed by rev. History, munnu noyambu and kappalottam marth mariam church. George orthodox koonan kurish old syrian church about. Anniversary 03 jan 360th anniversary of coonan cross oath koonan kurishu satyam. Pius melekandathil translated the book into english. Media in category coonan cross oath the following 2 files are in this category, out of 2 total. The swearing of the oath was a major event in the history of the saint thomas christian community and marked a major turning point in its relations. Aug 16, 2009 then came the coonan cross oath rejecting the roman supremacy over the st.
Coonan in malayalam means bent the cross bent to one side during the oath. Major revolts in the history of kerala study notes for psc. The church is headed by the autocephalous catholicos of the east and. The coonan cross oath was taken in 1653, by a part of saint thomas christians, reacting to the persecution of their church by the portuguese colonials who sought to bring it under portuguese padroado or propaganda fide. A priest ties the rope on the cross in front of the kothamangalam cheriya pally on sunday to reenact the coonan cross oath of 1653. Coonan means bent the cross slant to one side during oath taking ceremony 4 january, 1581. Malankara orthodox syrian church wikipedia republished. Thomas christians who gathered at mattancherry near fort kochi under the leadership of the archdeacon to receive a bishop from persia took the oath touching the cross there that they would not obey any more the jesuits who were the main european missionaries in india at that time. This is his first book describing his arrival in india.
The synod of diamper, held at udayamperoor called diamper in nonvernacular sources, was a diocesan synod or council that laid down rules and regulations for the ancient saint thomas christians of the malabar coast modern kerala state, india, formally uniting them with the roman catholic church. Dec 15, 2009 what i posted about coonan cross oath was not my version. By the force of pull, the cross got slanted hence the name coonan slanted cross oath christianity came to kerala in first century ad itself. This is known as the coonan cross oath in the history of the church. An introduction to indian church history cyril bruce firth. The coonan cross oath and division in the church 5. Sebasitiani was a commission sent by rome after coonan cross oath in 1653. The roots of christianity in india can actually be traced back to the origin of christianity. The beginnings to ad 1707 by stephen neill,page 319 preceding unsigned comment added by 117. Sulaqas subsequent consecration by pope julius iii 155055 saw a permanent split in the church of the. The coonan cross oath koonan kurishu satyam, taken on january 3, 1653, was a public avowal by members of the saint thomas christian community of kerala, india that they would not submit to portuguese dominance in ecclesiastical and secular life. History of the saint thomas christians religionwiki fandom.
Republica hotel yerevan, armenia book now, best prices guarantee sacred. The oath, known as bent cross coonan kurisu, took place in january 1653 when the syrians heard that their patriarch, ahathallah, was drowned by the portuguese. Those who swore the oath vowed that neither they or their descendants to come would have anything to do with the portuguese padroado and that they would never bow down. The thomas christians were in communion with the church of the east of persia. The portuguese who were masters of the sea in those days, many a time intercepted their letters of appeal for syrian prelates and there were occasions when attempts of middle eastern clergy to come to malankara were physically thwarted.
The cross of the east the cross in eastern christianity has a complex history with surprizing variety and symbology. After the coonan cross oath in 1653, with the ordination of archdeacon thomas as mar thomas i in malanakra syriac orthodox church, the role was changed from archdeacon to bishop. The puthankoor christians after the coonan cross oath a. The present cross does not appear to be 363 years old and appears not to be made of stone.
Book on ecclesiastical history, a common patristic readings for 365 days. The road to coonan cross revolt the fust half of the 17th century witnessed contitlltional conflicts with different dimensions and momenta between the archdeacon1 and the portuguese archbishop belonging the jesuit order, which fmally exploded in 1653, turned out to be one of the most important events in the history of the. Kochi was a fishing village in the kingdom of kochi in the precolonial kerala. Coonan cross oath koonan kurishu sathyam christianity.
This book which reflects the social milieu of malabar in the 16th century was written on archbishop alexis menezes reaching goa after attending the synod of diamper. George orthodox koonan kurish old syrian church the following 15 files are in this category, out of 15 total. Kerala syrian christian, apostle in india, the tomb of the apostle, persian church, syond of diamper coonan cross oath, subsequent divisions and the nasrani people. Synod of diamper project gutenberg selfpublishing ebooks. The malankara orthodox syrian church mosc also known as the malankara church and the indian orthodox church, is an autocephalous independent church based in kerala, india. The statements are from placid podipara from the book the thomas christians. The present cross does not appear to be 363 years old. Part of oriental orthodoxy, it is one of the oldest christian communities in asia. While one sect showed attachment to the pope, the other grope declared obedient to the patriarch of antioch. By nalloorlibrary on january 4, 2016 yesterday on the 363rd anniversary of the coonan cross oath, nalloor library visited the coonan kurishu palli bent cross church or known as the holy cross church in the narrow lanes of of the old town of mattancherry,cochin, india.
George orthodox koonan kurish old syrian church at mattancherry town of kochi cochin what others are saying daman and diu st peters church india images kerala india old churches hill station tourist places photo search. The coonan cross oath koonan kurishu satyam, taken on january 3, 1653, was a public avowal by members of the saint thomas christian community ofkerala, india that they would not submit to portuguesedominance in ecclesiastical and secular life. The syrian christians who took the coonan cross oath accepted it. Opponents appointed the monk shimun viii yohannan sulaqa as a rival patriarch. Thus a large section of the syrian christians of kerala became a westsyrianchurch, known as the syrian orthodox church. History of parish chendamangalam kodiyan family association. The ancient church in which the synod of diamper was held in a. Benjamin bailey came to kerala, india from yorkshire, england at the age of 25 years as a member of church missionary society. Coonan cross oath project gutenberg selfpublishing ebooks.
898 606 1390 529 892 149 1213 952 78 238 376 342 229 1323 925 1402 1386 1389 1509 474 1421 1375 1518 313 531 1015 393 860 1256 602 1483 489 361 398 117 1353 59 1190 879 487 663 96