The St. Hormis’ Church at Angamaly, famous for the tomb of 16th-century archbishop Mar Abraham, will be rededicated on Sunday by Cardinal George Alencherry, Major Archbishop of Syro-Malabar Church. The programme is scheduled for 2.30 p.m. on the day, said a press release here. It said that the characteristics of the old church had been maintained while the church was renovated. The St. Hormis’ Church, also called Kizhakkepalli, was built in 1577 and blessed in 1583 under the leadership of Mar Abraham.
The Angamaly church has great significance in the history of Christianity in India because Mar Abraham was the last Persian Chaldean bishop in Kerala. He is believed to have died in 1597 in Angamaly where he had taken refuge from the Portuguese. The administrators of the church accidently discovered the tomb, believed to be that of Mar Abraham, while the renovation work was on. The tomb was discovered in the sanctuary of the church.
A five-member committee has been constituted by Cardinal Alencherry to study the tomb and determine its antiquity. A book on the reign of Mar Abraham as archbishop and the history of the Kizhakkepalli will be released on the occasion.
