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Sunday, February 6, 2011

Coonan Kurisu Palli (The bent Cross Church) - Mattancherry.

Coonan Kurisu (Bent Cross)Palli (Church) or Holy Cross church - is a place of historical importance and faith for the believers. A shrine sandwiched between row of shops  in the busiest street of  Mattancherry, Kochi( My home town) Kerala.

Historical importance- When St. Thomas, disciple of Jesus Christ landed in Kerala in A.D 52, he could convert a good number of local inhabitants to Christianity. He also established 7 churches in Kerala. The present Christian population claims its descent from this early origin.They are known as Syrian Christains in view of the Syrian liturgy used in church services since the early days of Christanity in India. They are popularly known as Nazranis(followers of Jesus of Nazerene). Christanity thrived in Kerala because of the benevolence and tolerance of the Travancore rulers. When Portuguese arrived they were successful and eager to bring the Christians under the church of Rome. But when their power declined, the hold of Roman Catholic church also weakened. After that about 25,000 Syrian Christians reaffirmed their allegiance to the Syrian orthodox tradition  in front of an improvised cross at Mattancherry known as Coonan Kurisu satyam (oath)

Interesting facts: This small church attracts hordes of believers irrespective of the caste, creed and religion. They  offer worship by lighting the candles and it is believed that every single wish gets fulfilled here. This shrine gets crowded on Fridays.

How to reach-  Kochi is well connected by air, road and rail. The nearest airport is Nedumbassery which is 50 Kms from Mattancherry. Ernakulam Junction is the nearest railway station which is at a distance of 10 Kms.
Cabs, autos and buses ply to Kochi . One can always board a Mattancherry bus from South bus stop in Ernakulam and get down at the last stop at Mattancherry. Jew town and Synagogue are at walkable distance.
Accommodation- For stay, excellent hotels are available in Ernakulam / Kochi.

For other religious institutions in and around Kochi check List of temples

Check my new blog Chitra's Jewel Art , my new venture.

https://photos.google.com/album/AF1QipN6fSkVgC_Q8dkjMgoVh_hee2HgQ2fLWE2_FrX4






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51 comments:

  1. ArtiFebruary 6, 2011 at 7:35 PM

    This looks so beautiful Chitra...
    Typical case of unity in diversity, where people of all castes visit...
    Wonderful, off to visit you other blog!!
    Have a nice day:)

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  2. TeamgsquareFebruary 6, 2011 at 7:48 PM

    Lovely , awesome pics . Thank you

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  3. chitraFebruary 6, 2011 at 8:30 PM

    Arti, your comment made me happy. Saw your comment on other blog too.

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  4. chitraFebruary 6, 2011 at 8:30 PM

    Team G. Square
    Thanks .

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  5. InsigniaFebruary 6, 2011 at 9:18 PM

    I have heard about this church Chitra. Seeing the pictures now. Thanks for sharing

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  6. rajiFebruary 6, 2011 at 11:48 PM

    nice piece of information.What does this 'bent cross ' signify?

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  7. anupamaFebruary 7, 2011 at 7:09 AM

    Dear Chitra,
    Good Morning!
    Very happy to see a post on church at your space.I have heard about this church.I love visiting churches and kneeling down to pray.
    I just want to clarify...
    The cross is not bent.I could not see it so.Why is the cross bent?
    There is no alter with Mary or Jesus.
    And right now early in the morning,I am listening to the spiritual discourse on BIBLE.
    Wishing you a wonderful day...
    Sasneham,
    Anu

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  8. AnonymousFebruary 7, 2011 at 7:40 AM

    Hey thanks for sharing the history behind the church.. I didnt knw it! btw.. just loved the jewelery blog, do u do on own??

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  9. chitraFebruary 7, 2011 at 8:00 AM

    Insignia, thanks. This is very much part of Kochi history.

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  10. chitraFebruary 7, 2011 at 8:06 AM

    Raji, Bent Cross- an improvised Cross that was used at that time to take the oath with a slight bent.Coonan in Malayalam means bend. Holding to this many Syrian Christians reaffirmed their allegiance to Syrian Orthdox tradition when they didn't want to follow the Latin rites as they were forced to do so when Portuguese ruled.

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  11. SridharanFebruary 7, 2011 at 8:21 AM

    Chitra,
    Interesting post and info. I am happy camera is allowed inside.! Hope you know that St. Thomas lived in chennai at St. Thomas mount 2000 year ago..!

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  12. chitraFebruary 7, 2011 at 8:23 AM

    Anupama,
    Earlier also I have published 2-3 Churches.When I find religious institutions of historic importance I like to include that here.
    There is a slight bend for the Cross, that is the belief , apparently I also didn't find or could not make out . But this Church dates back to 1550 .No body could provide any information . No altar here may be because this a place of historic importance where Coonan Kurisu Satyam took place(1655)

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  13. chitraFebruary 7, 2011 at 8:28 AM

    Sridharan,
    From Kerala St.Thomas proceeded to Chennai. I know the famous Santhome Church and St. Thomas Mount too. Have plans to visit.

    This Coonan Kurisu Palli is on the itinerary of every tourist visiting Kochi, so photography is not a problem.

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  14. StarTraciFebruary 7, 2011 at 10:53 AM

    Wow, Chitra!

    Yet again, I learn from you. I love the collection of crosses. I was unaware of these "Syrian" Christians and their church there. Thank you my dear friend.

    :-)
    Traci

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  15. BhagyaFebruary 7, 2011 at 11:57 AM

    Wonderful!! Got an opportunity to learn something new

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  16. chitraFebruary 7, 2011 at 2:43 PM

    Vinneta, I missed your comment in the morning. Yes, I make all the jewelery .

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  17. chitraFebruary 7, 2011 at 2:45 PM

    Thank you Traci. Hope you liked it.

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  18. chitraFebruary 7, 2011 at 2:45 PM

    Bhagya, Thanks and tc.

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  19. MridulaFebruary 7, 2011 at 8:33 PM

    Sounds like quite an inclusive place! Lovely pictures.

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  20. kiran sawhneyFebruary 7, 2011 at 9:25 PM

    This is the first blog post of yours where you have covered a church. Nice description as usual.

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  21. smFebruary 7, 2011 at 11:29 PM

    beautiful church pics

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  22. SridharanFebruary 8, 2011 at 5:46 AM

    I forgot to tell you Chitra..Best of luck with your new blog.. Nice jewelery ..and good work..!

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  23. aipiFebruary 8, 2011 at 8:10 AM

    Personally I like visiting churches. I just like the calm serene environment and could sit for hours enjoying the peace and calm..beautiful church..thanks for such an informative post ..

    US Masala

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  24. chitraFebruary 8, 2011 at 8:41 AM

    Mridula, Thanks.

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  25. chitraFebruary 8, 2011 at 8:43 AM

    Kiran, I have included 2 churches and One Jewish Synagogue earlier also from Mattancherry.

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  26. chitraFebruary 8, 2011 at 8:44 AM

    Sm, thanks a lot

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  27. chitraFebruary 8, 2011 at 8:44 AM

    Sridharan, Thanks, thanks and thanks:)

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  28. chitraFebruary 8, 2011 at 8:46 AM

    Aipi,
    When I see ancient churches with a long history attached to it,I always like to cover them in my pilgrimage

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  29. rajiFebruary 8, 2011 at 9:30 AM

    chitra ..thanks for that.:)

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  30. Abhilash PillaiFebruary 8, 2011 at 1:19 PM

    I never knew such a thing exists in cochin. So I need to surf again, with my bike and friends... Thanks for sharing it Chitra...

    Let me light a candle and make a wish... hope it will be true...

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  31. chitraFebruary 8, 2011 at 3:25 PM

    Raji, Welcome.

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  32. chitraFebruary 8, 2011 at 3:27 PM

    Abhi, go towards Mattancherry bazzar , you will find this , any one would guide you and have you visited the Synagogue. It's nearby.

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  33. Felicity Grace TerryFebruary 8, 2011 at 7:51 PM

    So nice to hear of so many faiths being attracted to this church. I think the world would be a more peaceful place if this happened more often, if people of different beliefs were more tolerant of each other.

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  34. chitraFebruary 8, 2011 at 8:14 PM

    PW, Absolutely right . It would help people to stay united, peacefully.

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  35. MartinaFebruary 8, 2011 at 10:42 PM

    Somehow strange to see the cross in India, but than, the mix and tolerance of all the religions make India so wonderful!

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  36. chitraFebruary 9, 2011 at 8:38 AM

    Christianity is popular here Martina as we have a good number of that population here. But when compared to Hindus the percentage is less. There are many churches, ancient and crowd pullers, visited by tourists and pilgrims.

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  37. smFebruary 10, 2011 at 12:12 AM

    saw the slideshow again
    beautiful

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  38. chitraFebruary 10, 2011 at 8:18 AM

    Your comments make me happy Sm, Thanks

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  39. KrishnaFebruary 10, 2011 at 9:20 AM

    Interesting!!! Nice Captures.

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  40. chitraFebruary 10, 2011 at 10:02 PM

    SKM, Long time, no see! busy with studies? work well.

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  41. ArchanaFebruary 11, 2011 at 2:40 PM

    In fact, both Christianity and Islam have existed in India almost since they were born. We also had a significant Jewish population till Israel was created, when these Jews emigrated there. Now we have very few Jews left here. Zoroastrians of course, have existed here for very long and have contributed significantly towards the development of modern India.

    Visiting the shrines of faiths other than our own and celebrating the festivals of different faiths together is a special characteristics of Indian religiosity. It is not considered good behaviour if one doesn't like to visit the shrines of other faiths and doesn't celebrate the festivals of other religions, or doesn't make an effort to include the people from other faiths in one's own celebrations.

    But why the "bent cross?" Is it a reference to the narrative of Jesus Christ's crucifixion, when he fell three times while carrying his cross? I noticed the icon on top of the building where the lamb is carrying a cross.

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  42. chitraFebruary 11, 2011 at 4:37 PM

    Archana, When the oath was taken an improvised cross was only used and it had a slight bent. Hence it is called as Bent Cross. But I am not sure and could not find any material regarding whether it is the same Cross or it was replaced later.

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  43. Sushma MallyaFebruary 11, 2011 at 5:43 PM

    Thts a very beautiful write up Chitra abt the church....and lovely pictures as well..

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  44. chitraFebruary 12, 2011 at 4:06 PM

    Sushma, Thanks a lot.

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  45. indicaspeciesFebruary 13, 2011 at 2:57 PM

    Lovely pictures in the slideshow, thanks for the info on this Church.

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  46. kiran sawhneyFebruary 14, 2011 at 12:38 AM

    The church where everyone's wishes are fulfilled and people of diverse religions visit.
    Very Nice post Chitra.

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  47. NithuFebruary 14, 2011 at 2:16 AM

    Learnt something new. Nice post

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  48. chitraFebruary 14, 2011 at 8:56 AM

    Thanks Celine.
    Kiran , thanks.
    Nithu, Thank you

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  49. Anuradha ShankarMarch 2, 2011 at 10:48 AM

    very interesting, chitra!

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  50. AnonymousSeptember 17, 2011 at 4:55 PM

    please post bi picture of coonan cross church.

    http://coonancross.bizhat.com

    ReplyDelete
  51. chitraSeptember 18, 2011 at 11:30 AM

    @ Anonymous
    Didnt understand what do you mean by the above sentence 'post bi picture'

    ReplyDelete

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