THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Majestically glistening on a sandy beach shore is the Vettucaud Church, a famous pilgrimage centre in Thiruvananthapuram. Formally known as the Madre De Deus Church, it hosts the ‘Feast of Christ the King’ which is attended by thousands of faithful, including people of other religious backgrounds.
“Like Attukal Bhagavathy temple and the Beemapally Dargah Shareef in terms of religious prominence, the Madre De Deus Church is a major pilgrimage site for faithful, irrespective of what sect of Christianity they belong to,” said historian and writer M G Sasibhooshan, while commenting on the history of the church.
While it is not known exactly when or who established the church, the Latin archdiocese that the church is under believes that it was established by St Francis Xavier. “Letters, written by St Francis Xavier to King John III of Portugal during the Portuguese inquisition, mention names of churches started by the saint. The Madre De Deus Church does not find mention in the letters so it can be said that we do not have historical clarity on the church’s establishment.”
In 1729, when Travancore king Marthanda Varma killed 42 nobles connected to the Ettuvittil Pillamars for going against the royal family, he sold off their wives and children to the fisherfolk community. The loss of family and caste led many of them to end life but those who remained became part of the fishing community and converted to Christianity. This is one of the main reasons for the large Christian population near Shankhumukham-Veli region.
The famed Christ the King statue was presented to the church as a thanksgiving offering by Carmen Miranda and Elizabeth on the occasion of the priestly ordination of their son Fr C M Hillary who became the first priest from the parish. The church underwent renovation from 2010 to 2017. The church was remodelled with Roman, Byzantine and gothic inspirations.
The church dome was designed based on ‘The Last Judgement’ painted by Michelangelo and modelled on the Vatican’s Sistine Chapel dome, the main steps leading up to the church depict Christ’s entry to Jerusalem and engravings in the church depict the many apparitions of Mother Mary as well as the 14 stations of the cross leading to Christ’s death. The 24 stained glass windows, and the designs on the domes were all created by trained Kerala-based artists.
“The Vettucaud church is a place where all people irrespective of nationality, religion, caste and colour can come together for celebrating humanity during the Feast of Christ the King,” said Shaji D’Cruz, secretary of the church.
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