Syrian Catholics of Malabar


Syrian Catholics of Malabar
TypeEastern Christian
ClassificationEastern Catholic
TheologyDiophysitism
PolityEpiscopal
Metropolitan ArchbishopMetropolitan of Kodungallūr
RegionKerala, India
LanguageSuriyani Malayalam, Classical Syriac, Malayalam
LiturgyEast Syriac Rite- Liturgy of Addai and Mari
HeadquartersAngamaly
FounderThomas the Apostle as per tradition.
Origin52 AD (1st century as per tradition)
Branched fromSt. Thomas Christians
SeparationsSyro-Malabar Church,
Chaldean Syrian Church

The Paḻayakūṟ (Pazhayakoor; English: "Old Allegiance"), also known as Romo-Syrians [1] or Syrian Catholics of Malabar, are the East Syriac denominations of the Saint Thomas Christian Church, which claim ultimate apostolic origin from the Indian mission of Thomas the Apostle in the 1st century AD.

The Saint Thomas Christians were in full communion with the Church of the East of Persia from whom they inherited the East Syriac liturgical rite. Through the Schism of 1552, a faction of the Church of the East enters the Catholic Church. Following the 1599 Synod of Diamper, the Latin Church Padroado missionaries took over the Thomas Christian jurisdiction of Angamaly.[2][3][a] The Paḻayakūṟ descends from the faction that remained within the Catholic fold and held fast to an East Syriac identity after the historic Coonan Cross Oath of 1653, while being part of the community that seceded from the Portuguese Padroado.[6]

The modern descendants of the Paḻayakūṟ are the Syro-Malabar Church and the Chaldean Syrian Church. Among these, the former is an Eastern Catholic church in full communion with the Holy See and the latter is an integral part of the Assyrian Church of the East, one of the traditionalist descendants of the Church of the East.[7]

  1. ^ The Quarterly Journal of the Mythic Society. Vol.3. Mythic Society. 1911. p. 141. This incident marks an epoch in the history of the Syrian Church, and led to a separation of the community into parties, namely the Pazhayakuru (the Romo-Syrians) who adhered to the Church of Rome according to the Synod at Diamper; and the Puttankuru , the Jacobite Syrians , who after the oath of the Coonan Cross got Mar Gregory from Antioch, acknowledged the spiritual supremacy thereof. The former owed its foundation to the Archbishop Menezes and the Synod at Diamper in 1599 and its reconciliation after the revolt to the Carmelite Bishop Father Joseph of St.Mary whom the Pope appointed in 1659.
  2. ^ Koonammakkal (2013).
  3. ^ Malekandathil (2013).
  4. ^ Thoma Kathanar, Paremmakkal (2014). Varthamanappusthakam (Translation of John Malieckal). Oriental Institute of Religious Studies India Publications, Vadavathoor. ISBN 978-93-82762-15-7.
  5. ^ ""THE VARTHAMANAPPUSTHAKAM" written by Cathanar Thomman Paremmakkal". nasrani.net. Archived from the original on 27 April 2013. Retrieved 23 August 2010. The Author mostly uses the term 'Malankara' in Varthamanappusthakam to represent Catholics of those times. It has been rendered in translation as "Malabar". Both " Malankara" and "Malabar" stands for the same region. In today's ecclesiastic language " Malankara" denote the West Syriac rite of the "Malankra Orthodox", "Malankara Jacobite", "Malankara Mar Thoma" and "Syro Malankra". The " Malabar" denote the East Syriac rite of the " Syro Malabar Church".
  6. ^ Perczel (2013), p. 417.
  7. ^ Perczel (2013), p. 435-436.


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