The Hindu : Kerala News : Ancient church demolished

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Nov 16, 2004

Kerala

Kerala

Ancient church demolished

By Our Staff Reporter

IRINJALAKUDA, NOV. 15. The ancient St. Mary's Church at Kalparambu belonging to the Irinjalakuda Diocese was demolished today by a section of the parishioners immediately after an order notifying the intention of the Government to make it a protected monument was released.

A new church is being built adjacent to the St. Mary's Church. The parishioners say they demolished the old church as it was affecting the construction of the new one. They also argued that they would retain the altar that had many wall paintings of historic value.

Church significant

However, officials of the Archaeology Department say the church has a significant place in the history of the State and the Catholic community in Kerala. Though the exact date of the construction of the church is not known, a section of historians believe it was constructed in 1738.

However, other historians argue that the church was built between 1568 and 1599. They say that records indicate that the Metropolitan Alex Menebis visited this church in connection with the Udayamperoor Sunnahados in 1599. They also argue that there is a mention of this church in the historic Portuguese document `Jornado' released in 1606.

The ancient city of Musiris is only 10 km from here and documents say that a seminary functioned here in those days to cater to the needs of the smaller churches that were formed from the Kalparambu church.

Construction

The church has been constructed in accordance with the traditional architectural styles of Kerala. Several influences of temple architecture can be seen in its construction. The 14-feet high compound wall of the church is magnificent. Archaeologists say the Gothic style of construction of the church with its big arches add to the aesthetic quality and historical value of the church.

Notification

The preliminary notification about the intention of the Government to declare the church as a protected monument was issued on September 15. As per the notification, the public can convey their opinion about the notification to the Government within a period of two months. The final notification will be issued only after this period and once the final order is passed, no construction is possible in the church compound nor can the church structures be altered without the permission of the Department of Archaeology.

The Department had issued a directive blocking any construction or alteration in the church structures on August 28, 2003 considering its historical importance. Accordingly, the then District Collector had issued a direction to the district SP, the tehsildar, Mukundapuram, and the Curator of Archaeological Department, Thrissur, on September 22, 2003 to ensure compliance with the directive of the Archaeology Department.

Demolition

However, the parishioners started demolishing the church's front portion this morning. Equipments such as JCB were kept ready for this purpose. When the authorities came to know of the demolition, they sent a police force to stop it. But the parishioners mobilised the people of the area by ringing the church bells and continued the demolition. Some of the journalists and cameramen who had come to the spot to report the event were manhandled by an irate mob engaged in the demolition. The Collector, Premachandra Kurup, then sent the RDO, Kuriakkose, to conduct an on-the-spot investigation.

The RDO later told The Hindu that he has submitted a report to the Collector and that prosecution measures would be initiated against the parishioners who had illegally demolished the church.

The Vicar General of the Irinjalakuda Diocese, Mon Sebastian Ezhekkadan, told The Hindu that the Kalparambu church did not have as much antiquity as is being claimed. One or two families in the parish want to project that the church was constructed by their ancestors and they are behind the campaign to have it declared as a historical monument.

The Archaeology Department officials say that once the church was declared a protected monument, its maintenance and renovation would have been the responsibility of the Government.

The church priest or other officials were absent when the demolition work was on.

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