St. Mary's Orthodox Cathedral, Kandanad

Kandanad Valiyapally aka St. Mary's Orthodox Cathedral is a principal church of the Kandanad village of Ernakulam District of Kerala. This Church believed to be built around AD 4th century, belongs to Kandanad west Diocese of Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church

St Mary's Orthodox Syrian Cathedral Kandanad
St Marys's Orthodox Syrian Cathedral Kandanad
Religion
Affiliation	Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church
District	Ernakulam
Province	Kerala
Ecclesiastical or organizational status	Cathedral
Year consecrated	4th century AD
Location
Location	Kandanad, Ernakulam, India
Architecture
Type	Church
Style	Kerala Architecture
Direction of façade	West
Website
http://www.kandanadwest.org/parish1.php?albun=24

Location

Kandanad is a village in the Ernakulam Dt. of Kerala. The church is located near to Udayamperoor and Mulamthuruthy in Ernakulam, Kerala, India.

Very Rev Issac Mattummel Cor Episcopa is the current Vicar of this church.

History

The church is believed to be built in circa 4th century before the arrival of Portuguese Catholics in India. It has a magnificent edifice completed in 1910. On the Madbha, we could see two wooden planks on the Altar on which it is inscribed the date of completion of building works. On the wall it is inscribed that the church was consecrated in 4th century.

Kandanad Valiyapally was once the administration centre of Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church in northern part of 'Thiru Kochi' state, as Niranam Church was in the south.

We could see the sacred tombs of Mar Thoma IV and Saint Baselios Shakralla below the altar room.

World famous missionary Claudius Buchanan visited this church in 1806 to understand more about malankara nasrani's practices and traditions. This clearly tells us about the importance and stature of this holy church in malankara, even centuries before.

Kandanad Padiyola

Kandanad Church is also famous for the Kandanad Padiyola.

It was necessary to get the approval of the people to be a Malankara Metropolitan. For this reason soon after becoming Malankara Metropolitan, Mar Thoma VIII convened a meeting of the representatives of the parishes at Kandanad, on 14 September 1809. In that meeting they,

1) Unanimously accepted Mar Thoma VIII as Malankara Metropolitan and presented him with the insignia, a ring.

2) Selected Kayamkulam philipose ramban from Kayamkulam and Pulikottil Ittoop Ramban from Kunnamkulam as advisers to the Metropolitan.

3) Agreed to use the interest received from Vattipanam, for opening of a Seminary.

4) Accepted a written constitution for the church. (This is known as Kandanad Padiyola)

Later in 1843 there was another Sunahados held over here, which is known as the 'Second Kandanad Sunnahados' in church history.