St. Anthony's Forane Church
Encyclopedia
The 'St. Anthony's Forane Church' is located at Ollur
in Kerala
, India
. The church belongs to Syro-Malabar Catholic Archdiocese of Thrissur. According to rough figures there are around 4,000 Christian
families in the parish. Because of the huge presence of Christian
people in Ollur
, with its religious, educational, medical, social-service, and secular organisations and institution, Ollur
has been called as "Chinna Roma" (Small Rome). The church is constructed on a hill-top which is the highest location in the area. The church is surrounded by a huge protective compound wall called Elephant Wall (Aana Mathil).
When Thrissur
Vicariate Apostolic was erected in 1887, Ollur
was the richest, most populous, and influential parish, so much that the Vicar of the Ollur
parish and a priest from the parish were included in A.E. Medlycot’s four-member diocesan apex council. A Vicar and parish priest assisted by three priests in addition to the dozens of Rev. Sisters work for church regularly. St. Anthony's Forane Church has 18 churches under its jurisdiction.
Christian population goes to Mass in Puzuvial church. But one day one of the woman members of Chiramel Kalliyath family missed Mass in Puzuvial church before reaching the church. At that time Ollur
don’t have a church on its own. So that days the Mass won’t be started in Puzuvial church till the Ollur people reached there. The woman was very sad and told this incident to his son and asked the son to construct a church for the Ollur
Mass going people. After this incident, the land donated by Malaekal Karthakal was used for building a new church in Ollur
. According to church records, in 1718 a temporary Church was constructed and the first Mass was conducted.
, the Archangel, is the most important festival of Ollur
church falling on October 23 and 24 of each year. Another festival is in honor of Saint Sebastian in the month of January and is the second major festival in the parish. Also, Ollur
parish celebrates around 73 feasts and festivals in the calendar year.
which can be compared with Sistine Chapel
in the Vatican City
, that is St. Anthony’s Forane Church in Ollur
. Every inch of space in the church is decorated, under both western and indigenous influences, with the highest achievements of the painter, the sculptor, the ceramics worker, the carpenter, the goldsmith, the bronze artisan, or the architect - using every media known or imaginable like gold, silver, iron, bronze, wood, ivory, stone - including laterite, granite, and precious stones.
A unique feature of the church is the number and variety of the angel images in the church. There are more than five thousand images of angels in the church, in fresco, mural, wood, plaster, stone, metal and ivory. The paintings of the church cover an area of thousands of square feet and are considered one of the most beautiful ones in Kerala. The seven storey belfry of the church was it is said the tallest structure in South India at the time it was constructed.
to protest against the first Communist government in the world headed by E. M. S. Namboodiripad
. This was known as Vimochana Samaram or Liberation Struggle. The confrontation was sparked by a state law that would have effectively taken over Catholic education facilities. In in the same year, on July 23, Kerala Police
fired at the St. Anthony's Forane Church on the part of Liberation Struggle. A memorial had been erected at the church courtyard then. The memorial says, "Communist Government fired bullets to the Church here." The struggle of 1959 had led to the dismissal of the first democratically elect communist government in the world.
Ollur
Ollur is a major suburban area and an old commercial town in the Thrissur district of Kerala state, South India. It is situated about 5 km away from Swaraj Round on National Highway 47 commonly referred to as NH47 towards Ernakulam. From ancient time onwards Ollur was a major business centre...
in Kerala
Kerala
or Keralam is an Indian state located on the Malabar coast of south-west India. It was created on 1 November 1956 by the States Reorganisation Act by combining various Malayalam speaking regions....
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. The church belongs to Syro-Malabar Catholic Archdiocese of Thrissur. According to rough figures there are around 4,000 Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
families in the parish. Because of the huge presence of Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
people in Ollur
Ollur
Ollur is a major suburban area and an old commercial town in the Thrissur district of Kerala state, South India. It is situated about 5 km away from Swaraj Round on National Highway 47 commonly referred to as NH47 towards Ernakulam. From ancient time onwards Ollur was a major business centre...
, with its religious, educational, medical, social-service, and secular organisations and institution, Ollur
Ollur
Ollur is a major suburban area and an old commercial town in the Thrissur district of Kerala state, South India. It is situated about 5 km away from Swaraj Round on National Highway 47 commonly referred to as NH47 towards Ernakulam. From ancient time onwards Ollur was a major business centre...
has been called as "Chinna Roma" (Small Rome). The church is constructed on a hill-top which is the highest location in the area. The church is surrounded by a huge protective compound wall called Elephant Wall (Aana Mathil).
When Thrissur
Thrissur
This article is about the city in India. For the district, see Thrissur district. For the urban agglomeration area of Thrissur see Thrissur Metropolitan Area...
Vicariate Apostolic was erected in 1887, Ollur
Ollur
Ollur is a major suburban area and an old commercial town in the Thrissur district of Kerala state, South India. It is situated about 5 km away from Swaraj Round on National Highway 47 commonly referred to as NH47 towards Ernakulam. From ancient time onwards Ollur was a major business centre...
was the richest, most populous, and influential parish, so much that the Vicar of the Ollur
Ollur
Ollur is a major suburban area and an old commercial town in the Thrissur district of Kerala state, South India. It is situated about 5 km away from Swaraj Round on National Highway 47 commonly referred to as NH47 towards Ernakulam. From ancient time onwards Ollur was a major business centre...
parish and a priest from the parish were included in A.E. Medlycot’s four-member diocesan apex council. A Vicar and parish priest assisted by three priests in addition to the dozens of Rev. Sisters work for church regularly. St. Anthony's Forane Church has 18 churches under its jurisdiction.
History
In olden days, OllurOllur
Ollur is a major suburban area and an old commercial town in the Thrissur district of Kerala state, South India. It is situated about 5 km away from Swaraj Round on National Highway 47 commonly referred to as NH47 towards Ernakulam. From ancient time onwards Ollur was a major business centre...
Christian population goes to Mass in Puzuvial church. But one day one of the woman members of Chiramel Kalliyath family missed Mass in Puzuvial church before reaching the church. At that time Ollur
Ollur
Ollur is a major suburban area and an old commercial town in the Thrissur district of Kerala state, South India. It is situated about 5 km away from Swaraj Round on National Highway 47 commonly referred to as NH47 towards Ernakulam. From ancient time onwards Ollur was a major business centre...
don’t have a church on its own. So that days the Mass won’t be started in Puzuvial church till the Ollur people reached there. The woman was very sad and told this incident to his son and asked the son to construct a church for the Ollur
Ollur
Ollur is a major suburban area and an old commercial town in the Thrissur district of Kerala state, South India. It is situated about 5 km away from Swaraj Round on National Highway 47 commonly referred to as NH47 towards Ernakulam. From ancient time onwards Ollur was a major business centre...
Mass going people. After this incident, the land donated by Malaekal Karthakal was used for building a new church in Ollur
Ollur
Ollur is a major suburban area and an old commercial town in the Thrissur district of Kerala state, South India. It is situated about 5 km away from Swaraj Round on National Highway 47 commonly referred to as NH47 towards Ernakulam. From ancient time onwards Ollur was a major business centre...
. According to church records, in 1718 a temporary Church was constructed and the first Mass was conducted.
Festivals
Feast of Saint Raphael, OllurFeast of Saint Raphael, Ollur
The Feast of Saint Raphael or Malakhayude Perunnal is an annual festival held in Ollur, near Thrissur, Kerala , since 1839. It draws thousands of pilgrims. The Ollur forane church, founded in 1718 and dedicated to St Anthony, also houses a famous Shrine of Raphael the Archangel. This is one of the...
, the Archangel, is the most important festival of Ollur
Ollur
Ollur is a major suburban area and an old commercial town in the Thrissur district of Kerala state, South India. It is situated about 5 km away from Swaraj Round on National Highway 47 commonly referred to as NH47 towards Ernakulam. From ancient time onwards Ollur was a major business centre...
church falling on October 23 and 24 of each year. Another festival is in honor of Saint Sebastian in the month of January and is the second major festival in the parish. Also, Ollur
Ollur
Ollur is a major suburban area and an old commercial town in the Thrissur district of Kerala state, South India. It is situated about 5 km away from Swaraj Round on National Highway 47 commonly referred to as NH47 towards Ernakulam. From ancient time onwards Ollur was a major business centre...
parish celebrates around 73 feasts and festivals in the calendar year.
Art and architecture
If there is any church in KeralaKerala
or Keralam is an Indian state located on the Malabar coast of south-west India. It was created on 1 November 1956 by the States Reorganisation Act by combining various Malayalam speaking regions....
which can be compared with Sistine Chapel
Sistine Chapel
Sistine Chapel is the best-known chapel in the Apostolic Palace, the official residence of the Pope in Vatican City. It is famous for its architecture and its decoration that was frescoed throughout by Renaissance artists including Michelangelo, Sandro Botticelli, Pietro Perugino, Pinturicchio...
in the Vatican City
Vatican City
Vatican City , or Vatican City State, in Italian officially Stato della Città del Vaticano , which translates literally as State of the City of the Vatican, is a landlocked sovereign city-state whose territory consists of a walled enclave within the city of Rome, Italy. It has an area of...
, that is St. Anthony’s Forane Church in Ollur
Ollur
Ollur is a major suburban area and an old commercial town in the Thrissur district of Kerala state, South India. It is situated about 5 km away from Swaraj Round on National Highway 47 commonly referred to as NH47 towards Ernakulam. From ancient time onwards Ollur was a major business centre...
. Every inch of space in the church is decorated, under both western and indigenous influences, with the highest achievements of the painter, the sculptor, the ceramics worker, the carpenter, the goldsmith, the bronze artisan, or the architect - using every media known or imaginable like gold, silver, iron, bronze, wood, ivory, stone - including laterite, granite, and precious stones.
A unique feature of the church is the number and variety of the angel images in the church. There are more than five thousand images of angels in the church, in fresco, mural, wood, plaster, stone, metal and ivory. The paintings of the church cover an area of thousands of square feet and are considered one of the most beautiful ones in Kerala. The seven storey belfry of the church was it is said the tallest structure in South India at the time it was constructed.
Liberation struggle
In 1959 Catholics took to the streets of KeralaKerala
or Keralam is an Indian state located on the Malabar coast of south-west India. It was created on 1 November 1956 by the States Reorganisation Act by combining various Malayalam speaking regions....
to protest against the first Communist government in the world headed by E. M. S. Namboodiripad
E. M. S. Namboodiripad
Elamkulam Manakkal Sankaran Namboodiripad, , popularly known as EMS, was an Indian Communist leader and the first Chief Minister of Kerala. As the first non-Congress chief minister in independent India, he became the leader of the first democratically elected communist government in the world...
. This was known as Vimochana Samaram or Liberation Struggle. The confrontation was sparked by a state law that would have effectively taken over Catholic education facilities. In in the same year, on July 23, Kerala Police
Kerala Police
The Kerala State Police is the law enforcement agency for the state of Kerala, India. Kerala Police has its headquarters in Thiruvananthapuram, the state capital. The Police training college was set up by Travancore Maharaja in Thiruvananthapuram in mid 20th centuary. In 2004,a larger Kerala...
fired at the St. Anthony's Forane Church on the part of Liberation Struggle. A memorial had been erected at the church courtyard then. The memorial says, "Communist Government fired bullets to the Church here." The struggle of 1959 had led to the dismissal of the first democratically elect communist government in the world.
Churches under Ollur Parish
- 1) OllurOllurOllur is a major suburban area and an old commercial town in the Thrissur district of Kerala state, South India. It is situated about 5 km away from Swaraj Round on National Highway 47 commonly referred to as NH47 towards Ernakulam. From ancient time onwards Ollur was a major business centre...
- 2) AmmadamAmmadamAmmadam , is a village in the Thrissur district of Kerala state in India, where traditional Christians, Muslims's Hindus reside in peace in the communally turbulent India. Ammadam is about away from the town of Thrissur. Until recently, the main occupation of the residents was farming or related...
- 3) Kodannur
- 4) Marathakara
- 5) Padavaratt
- 6) Palackal
- 7) Pallissery
- 8) Perinchery
- 9) Pootharackal
- 10) Pulakkattukara
- 11) Thaikkattussery
- 12) ThaloreThalore-Etymology:Since Thalore is situated at a slightly higher altitude compared to neighbouring villages it got the name Thaloor from the two Malayalam words തല and ഊര്. Thaloor later became Thalore.-Geography:...
- 13) Vallachira
- 14) Venginissery
Institutions under the parish
- Holy Angels English Medium High SchoolHoly Angels English Medium High SchoolHoly Angels English Medium High School is a private Christian school run by St. Anthony's Forane Church, located in Ollur, Thrissur. The school has classes starting from LKG to higher secondary level....
, OllurOllurOllur is a major suburban area and an old commercial town in the Thrissur district of Kerala state, South India. It is situated about 5 km away from Swaraj Round on National Highway 47 commonly referred to as NH47 towards Ernakulam. From ancient time onwards Ollur was a major business centre... - St. Raphael's Convent Girls High SchoolSt. Raphael's Convent Girls High SchoolSt. Raphael's Convent Girls High School is a Kerala Government aided Christian school run by Carmelites, located in Ollur, Thrissur. The school was started in 1942 with 13 classes and now haveclasses till secondary level....
, Ollur - St.Mary's School, Chiyyaram, OllurOllurOllur is a major suburban area and an old commercial town in the Thrissur district of Kerala state, South India. It is situated about 5 km away from Swaraj Round on National Highway 47 commonly referred to as NH47 towards Ernakulam. From ancient time onwards Ollur was a major business centre...
- St.Joseph's High School Anakkallu, OllurOllurOllur is a major suburban area and an old commercial town in the Thrissur district of Kerala state, South India. It is situated about 5 km away from Swaraj Round on National Highway 47 commonly referred to as NH47 towards Ernakulam. From ancient time onwards Ollur was a major business centre...
Catholic organizations working in the parish
- C.L.C.
- Legion of Mary (Women)
- Legion of Mary (Men)
- Mathrusangam
- K.C.Y.M.
- St. Vincent De Paul Society
- Catholic Union
- Franciscan Sabha
Religious houses in the parish
- St. Mary's Convent
- Our Lady Fathima Matha Convent
- St. Vincent De Paul Convent
- F.C.C. Convent
- Galilee Retreat Centre
- Malabar Missionery Brothers Home
- John Haw Covent
- Sadhu Samrakshana Sangham