Brief summary of Manarcad Church history

The desire of ancient fathers for a a Holy place to take prayers and religious ceremonies for the Pilgrim Christians were the root causes of construction of the church. They started praying for this purpose. On the 8th day of their prayer they had a vision.  (Holy fathers compared Virgin Mary with The 'Sakshipettakam' which was created  by Mossaih according to the order of God. The circumference of this 'Sakhshipettakam' was  8 ' muzhams' (around 12 feet). The number connected with the salvation secrets of Virgin Mary and her son Jesus Christ  was also considered to be 8). The vision was to built the church in the forest where a calf and cow were lying down, where the fish and deer could be caught and Acacia Instia  and canes were scattered around.   (It is to be noted that Acasia Redhirama ,the wood which used to fabricate the 'Sakshipettakam' and Acasia Instra which was the Holy Fathers dreamt of were of the same species.)  

The Marthamariam Church (St. Mary's Church) at Manarcad is internationally famous. The ancient practice of 8 day fast and the Feast of Virgin Mary's Birth are celebrated between September 1st and 8th of every year at the church.

Because of the unseen presence and blessings of Virgin Mary, the Manarcad Church, the 8 day Fast and other observances have withstood the passage of time and attained international reputation. During the fast days, hundreds of thousands of people from the far corners of the world reach Manarcad to seek the blessings of Virgin Mary. Around this time all roads lead to Manarcad Church which is located just 9km. east of the town of Kottayam.

From the pages of history

Manarcad Church is the most important church among the ancient churches of Malankara. The stone inscriptions found at the church reveal that the church was built more than a 1000 years ago. Archeologists have found out that these stone inscriptions were memorial stones set up at the tombs in 910 A.D. and 920 A.D. and the writing on them are in Malayalam and Tamil scripts prevalent 600 years ago.

Afterwards, on several occasions, the church was rebuilt and renewed. In the 16th century there was not a single church in the land which was not re-built in the Portuguese style. It is believed that the Manarcad church also was re-built at that time in the model of the Kottayam Small Church.

A great institution

The Manarcad Church and the 8-day Fast, these continue to attract an unmitigated flow of millions of worshippers who seek the blessings of Virgin Mary.

The Manarcad Parish today consist of over 2500 families spread over 12 contiguous places, which is led by a team of a Vicar and 11 Assistant Vicars.

The Church has under its auspices a number of educational institutions including the St.Mary's College, religious and social service institutions and a most modern hospital.

During the 8-day Fast in September, the helpless and the hapless throng the church to pray to Virgin Mary for cure of diseases, for getting children for the childless, for guarding against calamities and for getting the wishes fulfilled. The pray and beg to their Mother with tearful eyes. They place their offerings before her. The testimonials of people who have received blessings are numerous.

Taking into account the number of worshippers who visited the church during the last 10 years, arrangements have been made to receive an estimated 3 millions devotees this year.

The Stone Cross

The legend behind the erection of the stone cross is as follows....
For the installation of the huge cross made up of stone, the devotees requested the assistance of an elephant to its owner who was staying in Puthupally, which is 6 kms away. Since the elephant was under rest / treatment, the owner refused the request. The devotees returned in desperation. But to their surprise they saw the stone cross was erected and installed properly and the above said elephant was standing beneath the cross.

Traditional lamps were lighted around this cross by the devotees is a peculiarity of the church. The devotees used to move around the cross on their knees after the bath in the pond. Psychic patients as well as the patients having chronic diseases used to pray beneath the cross and they get well, is a common phenomena.