St. Mary's Jacobite Syrian Cathedral: History, Schism, and India's Ancient Christian Roots

When you hear St. Mary's Jacobite Syrian Cathedral, a historic place of worship in Kerala, India, tied to one of the oldest Christian communities outside the Middle East. Also known as Kottayam Syrian Cathedral, it stands as both a spiritual center and a symbol of a deep, centuries-old division in Indian Christianity. This isn’t just a church—it’s the beating heart of the Jacobite Syrian Christian Church, a community that traces its roots back to the apostle Thomas, who legend says arrived in India in 52 AD.

The cathedral is deeply connected to the Catholicos of India, the title held by the spiritual head of the Jacobite Syrian Christian Church under the authority of the Syriac Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch. But here’s the twist: there’s another Catholicos of India—leading the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church, which broke away in the 1910s over autonomy and control. Both churches claim the same ancient traditions, the same liturgy, even the same saints—but they don’t share the same leadership. This split isn’t just theological; it’s cultural, legal, and personal. Families have been divided. Courts have ruled. Buildings have been seized. And St. Mary’s remains at the center of it all.

It’s not just about power. The cathedral is where generations of Malayalee Christians have been baptized, married, and buried. It’s where bishops like Baselios Marthoma Mathews III, the current Catholicos of the Jacobite Syrian Church, who leads from this very cathedral have guided their people through modern challenges. Nearby, bishops like Mor Polycarpus Geevarghese, a quiet but powerful leader who built schools and defended migrant Christian communities in Karnataka carried the same faith into new lands. These aren’t distant figures—they’re the reason this cathedral still matters today.

What you’ll find in the posts below isn’t a list of tourist facts. It’s the real, messy, human story behind one of the world’s oldest Christian traditions. You’ll read about the leaders who shaped this church, the legal battles that still echo, and how a community held together by ancient rites survives in a digital age. Whether you’re exploring your own roots or just curious about how faith survives division, these stories show you what’s at stake—and why a single cathedral in Kerala still holds the attention of thousands.