Vestry Towers Addition to St. Mary&#039;s Church at Manarcad, Kottayam

Prof. Oommen Thomas

Detail of the Cross © Prof. Oommen Thomas Archive

Plan, and Elevation © Prof. Oommen Thomas Archive

Plan, and Section © Prof. Oommen Thomas Archive

St. Mary's church is the most important church of Mary in the St. Thomas Syrian Christian tradition in Kerala. Although the church belongs to the Kerala Jacobite Syrian Christian denomination, it is a cultural icon and a centre of pilgrimage for people of all beliefs in Southern Kerala.

The patrons of the church claim the church itself was originally founded around 1000 AD ( an older church rebuilt in the 16th century exists across the road). In any case, the present day main church structure was built in 1954. The vestry towers were designed in 1993 by Prof. Oommen T. and construction was completed by 1995.

The two vestry towers were a formal response to 'service' space needed for the altar(called 'madbaha', a Ccyriac word, in SyrianChristiann terminology) and the vicars (there are many since this is a major place of pilgrimage). This included spaces for the vicars to change, store personal belongings as well as material associated with the altar and the sacraments. Technically this was the 'back-side' of the church, with the traditional ornate church facade on the other end of the church. The development of the main road through the area had made this 'back-side' of the altar (and the tower above it) the primary face/facade for those accessing the church. The attempt was thus not only to add spaces, but to 'turn around' the church symbolically.

The metaphor of the boat and especially the 'vallam' or canoe in the Kerala context is extremely significant in the Syrian Christian belief system. The design clearly attempts to echo this theme in multiple ways. The projecting arches on the two towers echo the 'vallam' or canoe rather than the Gothic arch which is associated with the catholic tradition. Oriental Christianity of which Kerala Syrian Christian tradition forms a part is a branch of early Christianity dating back to the first century AD practiced in Egypt, Syria, Ethiopia and Kerala, that never accepted Catholicism and the ensuing 'western' canon as the primary christian tradition.

The horizontal lines of the vestry towers respond to that of the coping of the original tower that rises above the altar in the center. The hyperbolic parabola was constructed with a form work of rubber tree (Hevea Braisiliensis) wood. Rubber trees visually dominate the hilly landscape of Kottayam and is the cash crop to which the district owes most of its wealth and development to. Also, its wood has excellent tensile strength and curves when pressure is applied. The original colors that the architect prescribed are seen in the photos of the period. Modernist structural rationalism (a continuing theme in Prof. Oommen's work) is evident in the architectural expression including the color palette. The fiberglass cross, designed for the central tower (the drawing shows a cross added in pencil), was never fabricated.

From the 2000's the patrons of the church started painting the church white, with stained glass windows added to the vestry towers and two pavilions erected on either side of the church.

Content Related to this Document

St. Mary's Orthodox Church at Karattukunnel, Amayanoor, Kottayam

Prof. Oommen Thomas. St. Mary's Orthodox Church at Karattukunnel, Amayanoor, Kottayam. Prof. Oommen Thomas Archive, 1989.
St. Thomas Orthodox Church at Vadakkanmannoor, Kottayam

Prof. Oommen Thomas. St. Thomas Orthodox Church at Vadakkanmannoor, Kottayam. Prof. Oommen Thomas Archive, 1982.
The City of the Pedestrian

Prof. Oommen Thomas. "The City of the Pedestrian." Malayala Manorama (1980).
St. Thomas Marthoma church at Karukachal

Prof. Oommen Thomas. St. Thomas Marthoma church at Karukachal. Prof. Oommen Thomas Archive, 1985.

Sunday, September 10, 1989 - 12:00 - Giving a new look to a landmark - On the Post-Master General's Office Extension by Prof Oommen Thomas
Saturday, April 4, 2020 - 23:16 - On Behind the Trees: Prof. Oommen Thomas and Modern Architecture in Kerala
Saturday, April 25, 2020 - 06:30 - 'Peace Monument' and 'Vendor Pavillion': two student projects from 1968-1969
Monday, June 17, 2019 - 17:18 - Trivandrum’s modernist artifacts: this one by Prof. Oommen & Ar. N. Mahesh

Modern Architecture in Kerala is envisioned as an open-access, continuously maintained document repository of local modernities, focusing on the contemporary as well as the 19th, and 20th century architecture.

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Vestry Towers Addition to St. Mary's Church at Manarcad, Kottayam

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St. Mary's Orthodox Church at Karattukunnel, Amayanoor, Kottayam

St. Thomas Orthodox Church at Vadakkanmannoor, Kottayam

The City of the Pedestrian

St. Thomas Marthoma church at Karukachal