St. Thomas the Apostle
according to the Indian tradition landed at Kodungalloor (Cranganore), the
capital of the Chera Empire in the year 52 A.D. Persians, Greeks and Romans
found Kodungalloor an important centre for their trade.
St. Thomas preached the
Gospel wherever he went and founded Churches. The apostolate of
St. Thomas was fruitful
among the people of Kerala. According to Malabar tradition seven Christian
communities were formed in seven different places before he was martyred in 72
A.D. His body was brought to Mylapore and was buried in holy shrine.
From the
4th century, St. Thomas Christians established relationships with the
Church of Persia. Bishops who
came to India from that Church also had their residence at Kodungalloor while they
held the title of the “Metropolitan and gate of all India”. The
‘Metropolitan’ changed his residence from Kodungalloor to Angamaly in the
sixteenth century due to certain political reasons. After the death of Mar
Abraham in 1577, St. Thomas Christians were subjected to the Latin bishop from 1699 and continued
to be so until 1887.
H. H. Pope
Leo XIII of illustrious memory, by the epoch-making Bull “Quod Jampridem” of May 20, 1887, separated the Syrian
Catholics of Malabar from the jurisdiction of the Padroado as well as the Vicariate of Verapoly and erected for them
Apostolic Vicariates of Thrissur and Kottayam. The Vicariate of Thrissur had
within its territory Kodungalloor and Palayur, the cradles of Christianity in India. Msgr.
Adolph Edwin Medlycott was the first Vicar Apostolic of Trichur.
Nine years
later, by the Brief “Quae Rei Sacrae”
of July 28, 1896, the same Holy Father reorganized the two Vicariates into three: Thrissur,
Ernakulam and Changanacherry – with Indians of the
Syro-Malabar
Church, as their Vicars
Apostolic. Mar John Menacherry became the first native Vicar Apostolic of Thrissur.
The rapid
and remarkable progress that the Syrian Catholics made under the Indian bishops
in the course of a few years was highly appreciated by the Apostolic and as a result,
on December 21, 1923 by the bull “Romani
Pontifices” of Pope Pius XI, the Syro-Malabar Hierarchy was established,
raising Ernakulam to the status of a Metropolitan See and having Thrissur,
Changanacherry and Kottayam as its suffragan
eparchies. Mar Francis Vazhappilly was the Bishop of Thrissur.
In 1887
the Vicariate of Trichur was bounded on the east by the Western Ghats, on the south by
the Periyar (Aluva), on the west by the Arabian Sea and on the north by the
river Bharathapuzha. When by “Quae Rei
Sacrae” of July 28, 1896 the three Syrian
Vicariates were erected, the river Chalakudy was made the southern boundary of Thrissur
Vicariate.
Pope Pius
XII, by the Bull “Saepe Fidelis” of April 29, 1955 extended the jurisdiction of Thrissur Bishop to the whole of the
Diocese of Coimbatore. On June 20, 1974 Pope Paul VI by the
“Apostolico Requirente” divided the
Eparchy of Thrissur, erecting the Eparchy of Palakkad which consisted of civil
districts of Palakkad and Coimbatore. Again on June 22, 1978 Pope Paul VI
separated the entire taluk of
Kodungalloor, greater part of Mukundapuram and small portions of Paravur and
Aluva to the north of the river Chalakudy, from the Eparchy of Thrissur and
erected the Eparchy of Irinjalakuda by the Apostolic Bull “Trichuriensis Eparchiae”.
Pope John
Paul II inaugurated the centenary celebrations of the Eparchy of Trichur on February 7, 1986 at St. Thomas Nagar, Thrissur, in the presence of about one million
people. On May 20, 1987 centenary day was
celebrated. The concluding functions on August 9 1987 were presided over by Simon Cardinal Lourdusamy, Prefect of the Congregation
for the Eastern Churches. The eparchial renewal project "Evangelisation
Decade" was inaugurated on 30 December, 1990. After the
erection of Syro-Malabar Major Archepiscopate
the eparchy of Thrissur is in the fore-front for the renewal of the Church.
The long
awaited expectation of the faithful of Thrissur Eparchy was fulfilled on May 18 1995 when the Pope John Paul II raised the eparchy to the Metropolitan
status, eparchies of Irinjalakuda and Palakkad being its suffragans and Bishop Mar Joseph Kundukulam as its first
Metropolitan Archbishop.
The
present Archeparchy of Thrissur has the following boundaries: north-
Bharathapuzha in Malapuram District, and Trichur-Palakkad district boundary;
west - Arabian Sea; east - Thrissur district boundary: south-southern boundary of Valappad
and Karuvannur, Karanchira, Kurumaly, Mupliyam
River.
