Week 51 - Some more history

Paravur church - one of the seven and a half churches believed to be established by St. Thomas.

The Marthoma Pontifical Shrine at Kodungalloor, Kerala, the first of the seven and a half churches believed to be established by St. Thomas. St. Thomas is believed to have landed in Kodungalloor in 52 AD. In AD 72, he was martyred at Mylapore, near Chennai. His relics were taken to Edessa, Turkey by a merchant on 300 AD. In 1953, Cardinal Tisserant, then the Prefect of Oriental Congregation, on his historic visit to Kerala took the bone of the Right Arm of the Apostle and deposited it in this church. See image below.



Holy relics of some other holy people.
The altar of the church where the St.Thomas' relic is kept.