The
Marthoma Pontifical shrine is a major pilgrim center that comes under
The Muziris Heritage Project undertaken by the Kerala government to
preserve the ancient monuments that date back to as far as 1st century. The Marthoma Pontifical shrine, an important pilgrim center on the banks of the River Periyar is an integral part of the project and this church is located
about 6 km from Kodungallur, in the village of Azhikode in Kerala.The fascinating historical fact about this place of worship is, it
is believed, that St. Thomas, the apostle (one of the 12 disciples of
Jesus Christ), landed in Kodungallur (then known as
Musiris) on November 21st, 52 A.D and founded seven and half
churches in the coastal area of Kerala; the first one being in
Kodungallur itself. One of these churches is in the Kanyakumari District of Tamil Nadu.
The
bone of the right arm of St. Thomas was specially brought from Ortona,
Italy and enthroned in the present Pontifical shrine on December 6th,
1953. The holy relic of St.Thomas was entrusted by the Holy See -
official seat of Vatican to the C.M.I. fathers of Devmatha Province,
Thrissur. The relic is kept in a glass case and exhibited daily from 9
am to 6 pm for veneration of the faithful with befitting briefing.
Special prayer services (Novena) is conduced on request every Sunday.
This is the reason why this shrine at Azhikode which is built on the model of St. Peter's Basilica, Rome has become a great pilgrimage center for the Christians as well as people of other faiths.
The
'Marthoma Smruthi Tharangam' (in Sanskrit language meaning 'the
creation of waves of memories regarding St. Thomas' adjacent to the
shrine), offers a memorial presentation, lasting 30 minutes of the
mission of the Apostle. The major episodes in the life of St. Thomas are
presented with audio visual theatrical effects. in a building built in Indo-Persian style.
Ref:
The Marthoma Pontifical shrineen.wikipedia.org
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