KOCHI: In West Kochi, place names often hint at trade routes or terrain. But for residents of Nazareth, their address carries a far deeper resonance: one rooted in faith, memory, and local lore. “Earlier, this place was called Chakkankadu,” recalls Antony, 75, who has lived there since 1964. In those days, residents travelled to the Saudi church near Mundamveli to attend mass.
The difficulty eventually prompted a collective effort to establish a local place of worship. That effort culminated in the construction of the Holy Family Church. “The church initially functioned as an extension of the Saudi church before branching out.
Built in 1880 and declared a parish in 1958, it has since grown into one of Kochi’s largest, serving nearly 3,000 families,” said parish priest Fr Joseph Titus Kandathiparambil. As the church gained prominence, the area itself was rechristened ‘Nazareth’ — a choice meant to mirror the life of Christ.
This symbolism extends beyond a single neighbourhood. The adjacent Chullickal is home to the St Joseph’s Bethlehem Church, locally marking the place of Christ’s birth, while Nazareth represents his boyhood home.
Like many old neighbourhoods, Nazareth’s past was shaped by folklore. Among its most enduring stories is a miracle associated with Saint Jacob during a smallpox outbreak. Desperate for relief, residents turned to a small statue of Saint Jacob housed in the church.
“Every morning, there would be mud on the statue’s feet,” recalled Peter, 75. The belief was that the saint walked through Nazareth’s lanes at night, driving the disease away. The episode is commemorated annually during the Jacosiya Perunnal, one of the church’s most prominent festivals.
For longtime resident Jacob, 73, Nazareth is also defined by quieter markers: a now-defunct school that bore the area’s name and a cluster of establishments that still do. And ‘Nazareth’ has endured as both a place and a belief.