Stuccoes

Beautiful, intriguing yet clueless as to what these embossed figures, on old church walls, are. One can find tigers, peacocks, dragon, hunters, horses, moon, elephants, fishes, …er fish mutations and what not. 

Heres a few of them (make sure you turn on the titles and descriptions):

http://www.flickr.com/photos/8705617@N08/sets/72157603839493453/show/

 

A line of thought, from a church guide, led me to agree with him. He asserts that these are Hindu influences of an age bygone. Partly true as many of these architects would have been the same who built contemporary temples. Thus we can see most Vishnu avatars on the walls: Matsya(fish), Koorma(tortoise), Varaha(boar) etc.

The dragons (the closest that I could name the figure) are not really Indian, so it should be Chinese in origin. No Indian would in anyway leave out the auspicious equivalent, the Elephant, so that's no surprise. In my opinion, these stuccoes were the 'signatures' of the architects.

Another thought-line was strongly along the lines of the story-telling ability of these figures. The emboss(ition)s that depicts a tribal lady tied up at the feet and being transported by a gang stood out as the prominent example for this line of thinking. The well-known Dr. Scaria Zacharia explains that this says something about the history of the church and that lady is supposedly a 'yakshi' (ghost/vampire).

 

However, some of these churches were rebuilt or built post 16th century. During this time the Hindu-istic similarities of Nasranis were quickly disappearing. So how did astrological symbols like moon and mythical characters like mermaids come onto Christian churches?

Any clue? Let me know.

Orthodox Outpost

Click on the link below for a slide show of some of the oldest churches in and around Kunnamkulam, Thrissur. What is unbelievable by us southists is that all of them are under the Malankara Orthodox Syrian wing. Yes, so far off north of Kottayam! Make sure you turn on the titles and descriptions in the link below

http://www.flickr.com/photos/8705617@N08/sets/72157600299122375/show/

 

 

A gist of some of the history in this area is as follows:

 

• Legend says that the Cheralayam St.Lazarus church was the first church to be built by the Essenes (Christian) Jews when they migrated here with St. Thomas in the 1st century.
  Many of these churches are centered on Thekke-angadi (South market), which is a place very much like West Fort of Trivandrum, is a ghetto of tightly packed houses. Here the Jewish Christian families stay and trade…I am not sure if they still claim to be of Jewish descent.

• Tipu Sultan did a ' 300' at the Arthattu church I read. Hung bodies and heads of these 'Issani' (Essene) zealots on a tree within the church compound. After which he then burnt the church to the ground. BTW, Arthat church still contests as the real first church by saint Thomas (!) The people there say the Palayur thing is a lie.

• At Pazhanji church, it is said that these Christians held their ground bravely against Tipu's Padayottom.

• A few kilometers off Kunnamkulam in a place called Thozhiyur there is an 'Independent' Syrian church, where a disposed orthodox bishop set up his own church on a land donated by a Muslim for favors received in the miraculous healing of this Muslim's son from rabies.
 

One bloody interesting place.

State of Churches

If the Thomasine-legends are true, then there is at least 1940 years of Christianity in Kerala. So this bio-diversity hotspot of the world also hosts some of the world's oldest churches. The legend of one of these churches is that it is the first church in the world :) ... don't think one can prove that though.

Anyway coming back to the point of the post, today an historian or a tourist will be extremely displeased after their anxious waits to visit one of these churches of historical importance. Because sadly if ravages of time wasn't deteriorating enough these churches suffered also at the hands of local warlords and kings, plunderers, invaders, foreign hegemony, natural calamities, even elephants... and off late an artless renovation spree! So what you see now is possibly of an old foundation only.

 

Currently almost all the ancient churches here belong to one of the three factions below:

1. Syro-Malabar Catholics (SMC)
2. Malankara Orthodox Syrians or Indian Orthodox Church (IOC), and
3. Jacobite Syrians

Of the 100 churches I have personally visited in the last 100 days, I should say that the Orthodox-es (2. & 3.) maintain some of the comparatively best 'kept' churches. By 'kept' I meant: that is ancient but relatively well preserved at least to some extent in its antiquity and/or renovated without corrupting its basic paradigm.

Generally the tendency of all churches in the Orthodox broad-spectrum (IOC as well as the Jacobites) is to engage a filigree architecture on their churches, which somehow reminds me of the design on typical Indian 'Glucose' biscuits. The filigrees acts as a distinguishing factor but not really appealing.

Improvisations to extend the St. George Orthodox Syrian church at Puthupally were very thoughtfully done. This church, in my opinion, is the best renovated/extended old church in a state of churches as old as Christianity. If this measure 'to change but not spoil' was consciously taken by the Devalokam, then for once I agree with my paternal-side faction. The IOC must have realized the need to preserve the art and antiquity of their ancient possessions of priceless values. An exception being the Kadamattom church, which is still in the immature fraternal dispute. And I pray they don't kill what's left of the Pazhaya Suriyani pally in Perissery, Chengannur and the currently renovating churches at Kaloopara and Cheralayam, Kunnumkulam.

In the Jacobite's list, I found the Nadamel church to retain some beauty though the bakery connection still lingers ; the church looks like a wedding cake! :-) Of course that don't mean every old church in the Orthodoxy's possession is still of artistic and/or antique value. The millennial-historied Kadeesa Cathedral of Kayamkulam and St. Mary's Cathedral of Mavelikara are example of this case.

The Jacobites still retain few of the enviable churches like at Mulanthuruthy, Manarcadu, Karingachira, Akaparambu and Piravom. But many of these treasured possessions have been colored to atrocity! The miraculous Manarcadu church, which enshrines a piece of the Holy Girdle of Mother Mary, has a flamboyantly colored yet insipid madbaha and sickly chosen coir-carpet colors. The Knanayites have done no better with their ancient churches at Ranni, Kalliserry and the Kottayam Valiyapally. This Valiapally is comparatively a little better than the others though. The Ranni and Kalliserry church facades are unimpressive.

With regard to the sickness of unnecessarily modernizing churches, I think the Jacobites caught the flu from the SMCs. The latter retain the majority of the ancient churches but most stripped of its antique beauty . The ancient churches under their wing were demolished for European settings (Portuguese-styled facades, marbled floors, cathedral ceilings). Only the Akkarapally of the SMCs in Kanjirapally retains any antiquity and is well kept.

It would seem there are no more artists left in this state. Many madbahas are now 'decorated' with plastic flowers and badly painted sequences of curtain folds, stars, angels and clouds!! Even a child can do better.

Simply appalled to hear about the intention to demolish the beautiful Ramapuram church. Isn't the crimes done to some of the ancient churches enough? Look what has become of the ancient Koratty muthy church? It looks more like a badly designed mosque. Wheres the art in the Vatican-styled domes and the zoo of concrete animals of the ancient Kuravilangad church ?

So this is the state of the churches in the state of churches. If we cannot take care of our heritage I say we should shed the Suriyani tags also.

Blended Sabha Blended Architecture

Mosque? Church? Temple? Western or Eastern? Roman or Antiochene?

 

Some call the St. John's Cathedral in Thiruvalla as Puttukuttipally but I am in all praise for it ever since I decided to take a closer look at it recently. Unlike Perumthachan's temple pond this is not just an illusion; it is a good blend of all the characteristics of sabha onto one structure. If one go a little closer the outsides resembles typical Keralite temple architecture. But once inside it is Roman Catholic in its cathedral-styled grandiosity but at the same time Antiochene-Syrian in the settings.

 

Much of the beauty in any Syrian church is in the characteristic bright red veils hiding the Sanctum Sanctorum (Madbaha); here the reddishness goes great with the reddish-brown woodwork that make up the whole of the madbaha.

And BTW this church enshrines has some 5 Holy Relics.

 

Considering the atrocities committed on some of the ancient churches of this region (a few of them being as old as Christianity) this one stands out, in my view, as a very well thought of design especially considering that this is very new construction. The Syro-Malankara Catholic church authorities and/or the architects took pains to include all the elements the sabha stands for while not in any way reducing it's modernity and flambouyancy. When most of the old churches are losing their originality and beauty this new one tries to bring them back.

 

 

Catholic, Antiochene and Keralite. Great work Brethren! For this, the loads of church funds didn't go to waste.