St Thomas at Palayur
Chittattukra village is part of Palayur which had the special blessing to become the cradle of the Christian Church in Kerala. It is situated about four miles to the east of Palayur. The beautiful village is called Chittattukara or Chittattur. It is believed that in olden days the village was surrounded on all sides by dense forests. The names of the neighbouring places—Thaikkad, Parakkad, Pandarakkad, and Nambazhikad—had a word meaning forest in them and this fact is a sure indication that the place had been once full of forests. It is to be assumed that the Chittattukara was given to the place because it was a land surrounded by forests. Anyway it is an enchanting village which is an ideal place to live. That might have been the reason why it was inhabited mostly by Brahmins in the past. That fact might have encouraged ancient Christians to believe that Chittattukara was also blessed with the footfalls of St Thomas. So, the Christian tradition and legacy of the place has been apostolic.

The ancient Christians of Chittattukara depended on Palayur church for their spiritual needs. In those days it was extremely difficult for the people to travel that far every now and then as there had been no roads of travel facilities in those days. They had to cross the woods, springs and rivers in order to reach their destination. But there was no alternative and so this custom continued for several centuries.

Marco Polo and Muthyema Church
In course of time, people started going to church only on the days when they were bound to go. By that time chapels had started springing up in various places. Such a chapel was erected at Chittattukara as well since there had been a lot of Christians there. The believers used to assemble in the chapel and discuss matters related to their belief and worship. This chapel came to be called ‘Muthyema Church’ and it figured in the travelogue of Marco Polo who visited Kerala in the 13th century (1275-1292). Marco polo states that about four miles to the east of Palayur, at a place called Brahmakkulam, there was a church of Christians and a market. It is to be remembered in this context that the first name of Chittattukara had been Brahmakkulam in the revenue records. The Muthyeme Church we find today in the market of Chittattukara is that church referred to by Marco Polo. So it can be concluded that the church was established before 1300.

The places called ‘Palur’ and ‘Brahmagara’ recorded in Pliny’s travelogue of the first century must have been Palayur and Brahmakkulam.

The establishment of the Chittattukara Parish
In course of time the number of believers increased in every place. Newer churches were established and new parishes were formed. Thus, in 1770, the forefathers of Chittattkara established their own parish, after maintaining their belief intact for nearly seventeen centuries.

When the Christians of Chittattukara became a new parish, getting separated from Palayur, they chose the Muthyema church in the market as their parish church. There had also been a school by its side which helped them in their education as well as in catechism. Members of the older generation affirm that there had been a cemetery also by the church. In those days, the Christians of Pavaratty, Venmenadu, Cherumaruthayur, Poovathur, Elavally, Peruvallur, and Nambazhikkad came under Chittattukara parish. It is said that there had been more than a thousand families in the parish.

Building a new church
As the number of families went on increasing and since the existing church wasn’t spacious enough to contain all of them, a new church was built in 1792, in a piece of land purchased from Alathupoovasserry Kothakandan and others. That was not the present one. It was situated very near the present church, in the south of it. The extended southern hall of the present church stands in its place. The cemetery had also been inside the church. Then the present big church was built in the Portuguese style. That might have been after 1800. The small, old church has ever since been used as the cemetery. That was demolished after the church case of 1874 (Melus heresy). The present cemetery stands in the land called Kanjirathinkal Parampu. There had also been a chapel in the cemetery. The cemetery was renovated later, in 1962, as the jubilee memorial of the Darsanasabha.

The land to the south of the site on which the Chittattukara church stands had been called Manathil Parambu, and Cherusserry Parambu. That had been the property of a famous mana. When the church was established, the Brahmins found it difficult to stay there and left the place. There evidences to prove that.

Formation of the Chittattukara market
Chittattukara had for very long been a famous market. People inhabiting the areas within ten miles depended on it for their everyday needs. Crowded houses and a shop in front of each house is the speciality of the town even today. However, the market of the past was not at all like the present one. It had been a fair where people used to come together only for buying and selling things on specific days. The vast majority of the people lived outside the market. The favourite occupations of the people had been agriculture, small scale business and the extraction of oil. Soon after the establishment of the chapel in the market, a large number of believers started living there. The present market might have been formed towards the end of the 17th century.

The financial condition of the church improved as the people’s faith and devotion to the church increased. In 1794, the land adjoining the property of the church, belonging to Poovasserry Kothachapan and others, was purchased. The Cherulkulangaraparambu was bought in 1817 and the Kodumpattaparambu in 1840 from Poovasserry Kothachappan and others. In 1834, the land to east of the chapel in the market was donated to the parish by Vadukkuttu Chakkunny Uthippoorum Thampis. With that almost the whole land in the main market came under the ownership of the parish. The people who lived there became the tenants of the church. The parish made a long and strenuous attempt to buy the southern part of the market (Kanjirathinkalparambu) and at long last, in 1908, it was acquired from the Kuttichira Attayur-Painkanikkulam Devaswom. In those days, the processions in connection with the celebrations in the church were conducted in the parish’s own land.

Chittattukara church and Melus Heresy
By that time several heresies and factions had crept into the Christian Church in the state. The Udayamperoor Synod of 1599, the Coonan Cross Truth of 1653, and the Pathruvado administration had scattered the believers into different centres. In the history of the Chittattukara parish, we notice heretic interventions through the coming of Rockos bishop in 1861 and then the coming of Melus bishop in 1874 and the appearance of Basel Mission. However, the parish successfully overcame all those heretic interventions.

The supreme importance of Chittattukara church in the history of Kerala Catholicism is unquestionable. The verdict in the famous Chittattur of Chittattukara Church case literally became a landmark in the history of the Church of Kerala. Long before that most of the churches had fallen into heresy under the very strong influence of Melus heresy. The entire Palayur and a part of Chittattukara joined the heretic movement. Even before the coming of Melus, the Pathruvado sect had also entered Chittattukara in a big way. In those days the parish came under Varappuzha diocese. When Melus bishop came there was the fraudulent declaration that he had been deputed to lead the Syrian Christians of the area. That propaganda helped the embracing of heresy by several churches. The parishioners of Chittattukara also got split up into two—the Goa faction or the Melus faction and the Varappuzha faction. There came up a lot of litigation, both civil and criminal, between the two. One faction started conducting services in the big church and the other faction in the cemetery chapel. After some time both factions started conducting their services in the big church itself at different times. Thus, there were two different types of services in the same church.

There had been only a few families that accepted the authority of the Varappuzha diocese (only 19). That means the vast majority belonged to the heretic group. Then, in 1875, the vicar appointed by Varappuzha diocese, Ouseph Kathanar and the two trustees of that period, Pulikkottil Parinchu and Vadukkut Devassy, filed a case against the Melus faction in the Thekkemalayam Subordinate court as case number 74 of 1875. The heretics were defeated in the case and so filed an appeal in the Madras High Court. It was then that the Visitor Apostolica, Bishop Leo Mourin, appointed Nidheerikkal Mani Kathanar of Kuravilangad parish to manage the Chittattukars Church Case. He had been the supreme leader of the freedom struggle of the Syrian Catholics of Kerala. He was also the first and the last Vicar General of Kerala to wear the Pontifical signs the staff and crown. He came to Chittattukara church and stayed there for several days, studying the church records and preparing the evidences for the case.

As part of the proceedings for the case, three prominent bishops, Bishop Fenly of Madras, Bishop Mouren of Bombay, and the Metropolitan of Varappuzha, Mar Onarde were heard as witnesses in 1875 at Chittattukara church. That became a special opportunity for the church to have the presence of three bishops in the church.

Under the leadership of Nidheerikkal Mani Kathanar, the appeal at Madras High Court was successfully managed and the verdict was in favour of the Varapuzha faction. The church and all the property of the church had thus been seized from the hands of the Melus bishop through the court. Not only that, a compensation of 1675 Rupees was obtained from them. Following the victory in the Chittattur case, several churches approached the court against the heretics and won in every case. Thus the church and the people dropped the heresy. However, the big church at Thrissur remained the bastion of Melus heretics.

Pavaratty separated as a new parish
One section of the heretic faction that lost the case became dejected and, with the permission and support of Melus bishop, went to Pavaratty and built a temporary church to conduct services there. The practice went on for some time. That church stood at the place where the Pavaratty church stands now. The heretics might have remained in that heresy for about five years. Then they renounced heresy and joined the true faith once again. The Pavaratty church became a chapel of Chittattukara parish. In 1887 it became an independent parish.

Some of the heretics of Chittattukara had built a shed in Chandyparambu in the Chittattukara market and conducted services there. They too realized their mistakes and rejoined the true faith in a short while.

In the meantime, The German missionaries like Boson came with the activities of the Basel Mission. Their activities got the implicit support of some people in the parish. Owing to the strong attempt made by Rev Fr Thachil Kochuvarkey and Rev Fr Vadukkutt Pathrose, deputed exclusively for that purpose by the Church authorities, the efforts by the Basel Mission didn’t have the expected effect upon the people of Chittattukara. Only two memorials remain at Chittattukara even today to tell about the presence of the Basel Mission—the B E M L P School and a small cemetery.

As a token of appreciation on the historic win in the heresy case against the Melus faction, the papal representative, the vicar Apostolica, had given Chittattukara church three statues made of ivory—that of Virgin Mother, St Antony and St John Nepumsianos. The church still retains the three statues as a special memento for the strong fight and the ultimate victory against heresy.

Seminary education at Chittattukara
Until the establishment of the Thrissur diocese, Chittattukara had been under Kodungallur diocese and then varappuzha diocese. The records kept in the church say that when it was under Varappuzha there was a seminary functioning in the church. In those days seminary education was provided only in very prominent churches. There had been no permanent institutions for training the future priests. The training under an experienced priest who was well-versed with the language and procedures of various rites and services was enough in those days for one to be ordained as a priest. It is widely believed that in those days such training was imparted at Chittattukara by a senior priest (Malpan). The records say that from 1832 to 1875, the Metropolitan of Varappuzha used to ordain deacons at Chittattur church and appoint vicars. The practice was discontinued in 1887 when Thrissur diocese came into being. Then native bishops started administering the affairs of the Kerala Church and that led to improved efficiency in Church affairs.

Social commitment of the church
Anyone who studies the history of Chittattukara will easily find that over the years the vicars and the laymen always strove for the progress of the parish and the parishioners and at the same time worked hard for the betterment of the society in general. The church authorities were always interested in social and cultural matters that affected the society. Perhaps the best example for that is Mayiliparampu in Elavally. In the past, during the attack of small pox and other dangerous contagious diseases, there had been the practice of removing an infected person from his house and to make him or her live in another house away from the other houses. In the Chittattukara market, the houses were so crowded that if someone got infected it was impossible to treat the person there. As a result of that, a piece of land was bought at Elavally in 1811 and a house was built there for such infected persons. There was much opposition when the land was bought for that purpose and subsequently as well but the name Mayili Palliparampu was enough to ward off all oppositions. The authorities ignored all objections and granted proper protection to the enterprise.

The demand arose for a common school in the parish under the church for the increasing population. In order to satisfy the needs of the parishioners, a large pond was dug in the Kottarathilparampu in 1895. That pond is still in use. We have noticed that even though Chittattukara had been a famous commercial centre from the distant past, there weren’t enough roads or travel facilities. It was mainly under the initiative of the church that the Mattam-Pavaratty ‘Chittattukara Bazaar Road’ was constructed in 1914.

We also proudly record that our forefathers used to donate their land and money for common causes. Much of the land that the church now possesses had been donated like this. The parish is grateful to all who contributed land to the church.

One special achievement of Chittattukara is that the 17th annual convention of the All Kerala Catholic Congress was convened here on 27-29 May 1936. It was something very significant because the annual convention was held at a place blessed with so many historical incidents. In fact Chittattukara was the first parish in Thrissur diocese to have a branch of the association. Another peculiarity was that it was also the diamond jubilee of the historic victory over the Melus heresy. The convention turned out to be a great occasion with a lot of the hierarchy and the representatives of the association. That convention has been a significant event in the history of the parish.

The developments and reformations
The second half of the 20th century has been a period of all round progress for Chittattukara parish. The mondalam of the old church was renovated in 1945 and the present entrance was built. The bell tower is something very peculiar. It was built in 1950 with the financial contribution from Darsanasangham. The large Paris bell that tolls majestically is an attraction of the church. In 1957, there was a total renovation to the church. Without destroying the antiquity of the church, a new altar, a beautiful dome, and the sacristy, and the northern hall were built. The southern hall was added later, with the exact measurements of the northern one. In 1946, the field to the west of the church was bought and it was leveled to make it a large ground. The first procession to go through the new path was the one in connection with the feast of St John on 26 May 1947. Until that the main entrance to the church had been through the centre of the school building in the church compound that had been built in the year 1910. When a new entrance was made, the old one was closed down permanently. The very old school had got government approval in 1904 and it was elevated to the grade of a Higher Elementary school in 1929. It became a High School in 1976.

The miraculous statue of Fathima Matha came to Chittattukara on 22 December 1949 for public veneration. It was accorded a very respectful and worshipful welcome. In the memory of that incident the newly constructed ground was called “Fathima Maithanam.” The grotto in the church compound was constructed in 1963 and the flag post in 1967. The Infant Jesus arch, the priest home, and the stone cross stand there even now as the proud specimens of the glorious past. However, we have destroyed many things without realizing the great value of them. It is to be mentioned here that several things that are part of the ancient possessions of the church have been donated to the Palayur museum. The donations were made in 2004.

The second centenary of the formation of Chittattukara parish (the anniversary of the separation from Palayur) was celebrated in a grand manner on 29-31 March 1970. It was exactly like a grand celebration. In the different programmes held in connection with the celebrations a large number of dignitaries including kerala Governor, the Cardinal, bishops, ministers of the state, other religious leaders, political leaders and social workers participated. That great occasion will forever be in the minds of Chittattukara and in the history of the church.

When, on 23 August 1970, the bishop of Thrissur, Mar Joseph Kundukulam, came to Chittattukara for his first parish visit, Chittattukara was literally because the bishop had been an assistant vicar of the parish in the past. It was in face the first parish he served after his ordination as a priest. In the meeting convened to honour him, the bishop issued land patta to 18 tenants of the church who had no other land. That was a great moment in the lives of those people because they got the right to the land on which they had lived for a long time.

Elavally becomes a new parish
Elavally which had been a part of Chittattukara had started its own catechism centre as early as 1894, in a piece of land purchased there on 21 March of that year. In 1923 they bought another piece of land and built a chapel there in 1925. The statue of St Antony placed in that chapel had been brought from Ceylon, the present Sri Lanka. The eighth day of the main festival of Chittattukara was usually celebrated as the feast of the Elavally chapel. Subsequently, in 1974, Elavally was elevated to the status of an independent parish, the second child of Chittattukara, with as many as 66 families.

Devotion to St Sebastian
1974 was a year in the history of Chittattukara which the members would like to delete from their memory. It was the year when the people were terror-stricken with the rapid spread of Cholera and other contagious diseases. A large number of people were struck down and a lot of them succumbed to the diseases. As death became very common the people decided to invoke the blessings of the patron of the parish, St Sebastian. The entire parish started special prayers addressed to the saint, the protector from all infectious diseases. Remission from diseases came very soon and the people were so grateful to the saint that they decided to celebrate his special feast on 12 July 1943. The feast was celebrated with great devotion. That was another momentous occasion in the history of the parish. Ever since 1944, the “20th day Feast” has been celebrated in honour of the saint. Every year devotees come forward with a competitive spirit to sponsor the feast of St Sebastian. The feast is known as “kampidy” (‘kampavedy’) feast and also as “pindikuthy” feast. It is celebrated every year on 6-7 January.

The Catholic community of Chittattukara is always eager to carry forward the rich legacy of strong belief in God and to maintain the rich tradition extending back to the days of the Apostle St Thomas himself. The antiquity and greatness of the church is maintained and remain fresh in the minds of the people of Chittattukara.