Deepening of division

When, the healthy influence of British rule began to be felt in Travancore, some of the Non Catholic Syrian Christians made a formal complaint to the native court that the catholic St Thomas Christians retained forcible possession of certain churches against the wishes of the people. Upon this the British Resident, Colonel Munro, issued an order that the church at Piravom (Valiyapalli), the Valiapally of Kottayam, one church at aleppy and the church of Changanashery, should be given over to the Syrian party. The Church Missionaries supported by the British colonial force, assisted the puthecoor fraction as far as they could in this matter.Later the catholic fraction were expelled from piravom and kottayam valiyapalli. However unprecedented protests that followed soon under the leadership of the Vicar General of the Catholic diocese and thousands of faithful which included a large number of men as well as women, of both the parishes marched ahead without fearing the cruel atrocities of the British as well as the local government authorities, and very soon it became a serious law & order problem.Finally the British and the local government authorities had to yield to the will of the majority and stop all the atrocities against the parishioners and later the Changanassery & Aleppy churh reverted back to Syrian Catholic control after the separation of Jacobite and Catholic factions during early 1800s.This was One of the most unfortunate events happened in the history of Syrian Christians.

Piravom church &Protestant iconoclasm

[Iconoclasm of is the deliberate destruction of religious icons and other symbols or monuments, usually with religious or political motives.]

Background

By the dawn of the 19th cent. the British had established themselves in India and Kerala had come under their sway. The Kerala of today included then the 3 regions of Travancore, Cochin and Malabar. The first two of them were native states each ruled by its own King, and the third included the territories of Samuthiri of Kozhikode which the British had annexed to the Madras province of British India. The two native states had accepted the political Legemony of the British. A resident on them was appointed to preserve the interest of British East India Company and later on of the British Crown.It was while Col. Macaulay was in office a Trust Fund of Jacobites() was instituted with the East India Company to yield 8% annual interest. Col. Munro who succeeded Macaulay in 1810 desired that it would be possible in course of time to work out a way for the Jacobite fraction to cooperate with the Anglican Church. He helped the Jacobite fraction in various ways.Accounts of Piravom including the expulsion of catholic fraction can be found in the book, “Lingerings of Light in a Dark Land”, by Rev Thomas Whitehouse, published in 1873. The author clearly made considerable effort to visit the Piravom church during the early 1860s for the purpose of historical researches. His account provides interesting details of the church, its prominent location, struggle for control between Catholic and Antiochean factions, iconoclasm imposed by CMS missionaries’ among the Jacobite fraction etc

"The church at Puruwum or Purom, also in the “Pepper Kingdom” belongs to the Southerns; and is most pleasantly situated, occupying an elevated position on the banks of a river, which is the chief way into the interior of this ancient principality. [Rev. Whitehouse states that the Piravom church was controlled by the Southists. As far as we know majority of the Southists in Piravom are Roman Catholics. It is possible that they had control of the church prior to separation of Jacobite and Catholic factions in early 1800s.] When, however, the healthy influence of British rule began to be felt in Travancore, some of the Syrian Christians made a formal complaint to the native court that the Romanists retained forcible possession of certain churches against the wishes of the people. Upon this the British Resident, Colonel Munro, issued an order that the church at Purom, the Valiapally of Kottayam, and the church of Changanashery, should be given over to the Syrian party. Their friends, the Church Missionaries, assisted them as far as they could in this matter.

When the Catholics vacated the place, nearly half a century ago (i.e., circa 1810), there being a division of property, they took with them only half their images. Those left behind being likely to prove a snare to the Syrians, were wisely removed, under the sanction of their Metran.

The late excellent senior Missionary has again and again narrated the story of their removal to the writer. These images had been made at Goa, were well executed, and of considerable value; and therefore it went sorely against the grain with some of the people to part with them. Like Laban, when he lost his gods, they were for rallying their forces and going after the mission boat in which they have been stowed; but by an extra effort the boatmen escaped them; and conveyed them to Cottayam, where they were safely housed in a lumber room on top of the old Syrian college. For years they rested there in peace, neglected and forgotten, till some repairs of the structure brought them to light. The missionary recommended their destruction, since they might lead to evil; but the Metran then running, a man of vacillating character, was for compromise, and suggested that they should be sold to the Romanists! This, of course, in principle, was decidedly objected to. At last the Metran and his staff were induced to visit them; it being thought that sight of them might alter his opinion, and bring him to the right decision. The Missionary(CMS) presently called for a chopper, and with the tacit, but very reluctant consent of the Metran, began to hew them in pieces – the younger students looking on with a kind of horror, as if they expected divine judgment to paralyze the arm of the unsparing iconoclast. Had it not been for the decided action taken by the truest friends of the Syrian church, it is to be feared the people of Purom would, through their images, again have come under the power of Rome. This simple fact serves to show how thoroughly Romanized many of the image-hating Syrians were when our mission was first established among them.

[Interesting to note that here white house states that the veneration of images or Icons (Not statues) among the Jacobites Christians as a Roman influence. This single incident shows the influence of Anglican missionaries among the non catholic fraction of Syrian Christians at that time. ]

What the imagery of the church may have been, can be easily inferred from elaborate reredos (wall behind the altar) still standing behind the chief altar, which is wood, though two modern side altars are of stone. The lower part of the reredos is adorned with bold alto-relievo carving; the upper has three principal compartments, representing the birth of Christ, the visit of the Magi, and the presentation in the Temple. In 1863 they had been fresh painted – about four years previously – and therefore presented a bright and showy aspect, which contrasted strangely with the otherwise dirty and poverty-stricken look of the edifice.

A heathen temple of considerable antiquity, called Chairycum Umbalam, stands near the church, but on lower ground. A local tradition for this is as follows:- When the Christians and Heathen were contemplating building, each wanted the high site; upon which a trial of the power of their sacred images was proposed, and accordingly one of Virgin, and another of some Hindoo swamy were thrown into the river; the later sank, the former swam and had the priority of choice! There is, however, this insuperable difficulty in the way – the Syrians abhorred images prior to the coming of the Romish Missionaries; and therefore we can regard this story as nothing else than a legendary mode of accounting for the singular fact that, in an essentially heathen state, the Christian church occupies a better position than the Hindoo pagoda. May it not indicate that, old as the Pagoda is, the Christians built their place of worship before the heathen did theirs?"

Changanacherry &Allepy Church

The takeover of catholic majority parishes in changanachery and aleppy lead to great protests and mass revolt.The British man Mr. Fenn tried to capture these parishes and hand it over to the Church at Niranam in the pretext that these churches were once the chapels of the Great Church at Niranam. There was clear verdict from the British authorities in favor of handing over these churches to the church at Niranam. This happened in early 1800 and is recorded in history. The then British rulers even took control of the churches with the help of the local government and appointed priests from the Niranam Church. However unprecedented protests that followed soon under the leadership of the Vicar General of the Catholic diocese and thousands of faithful which included a large
number of men as well as women, of both the parishes marched ahead without fearing the cruel atrocities of the British as well as the local government authorities, and very soon it became a serious law & order problem. 'The Syrian catholic Vicar general who arrived to help his flock was put in prison. Notwithstanding threats and punishments, the catholic party, which included women and children, could not be driven out. They were so determined, that nothing short of death could make them move from the church. They lay in the street to prevent others from entering the Church'. This was one of the greatest revolts by any Christian group against the Government here after the forced conversion made by the Portuguese in 1653. Finally the British and the local government authorities had to yield to the will of the majority and stop all the atrocities against the parishioners and accept the reality that the majority cannot be overruled by a small minority even-though the later are enriched with money or other means. Rev. Whitehouse describes how Changanassery church reverted back to Catholic control after this great revolt in early 1800s.