St Mary's Metropolitan Cathedral, Changanassery

St Mary's Metropolitan Cathedral, also known as Valiyapally, is the cathedral of the Syro-Malabar Catholic Archeparchy of Changanassery (Archieparchia Changanacherrensis) and also a Marian pilgrimage centre in Kerala, India.HistoryThe local Christian community in and around Changanachery inherits its faith directly from St. Thomas the Apostle, who formed a Christian community of faithful, centered on Niranam in the 1st century. The first church in Changanachery was established in 1177. The plot of land for the church was donated by the local Hindu king of Thekkumkoor. The current church is the fourth one in its place. The church was reconstructed and consecrated in 1887. The cathedral is ornamented with ancient Hindu temple carvings. More information regarding the history are given in the parish directory of the church '04.DescriptionThe tombs of Mar Mathew Kavukattu, Mar James Kalassery, and Mar Thomas Kuriallassery draw hundreds of people to the Metropolitan Church.The major celebrations of the church are the festival of St. Sebastian (January) and of St. Mary (August 1–15). This Metropolitan Catholic church is among the oldest Christian churches in the diocese. Its beautiful construction makes it the diocese's architectural masterpiece. It resembles the Portuguese style of architecture. The main attraction in the church is the altar itself.The church is described as "the finest Syro-Roman church on the Malabar Coast" by the Imperial Gazetteer of India published by the British government in 1908.