Religious and political leaders joined 2,000 people recently to rededicate Mother of God Cathedral in Kozhikode on Kerala’s Malabar coast that a Hindu king helped build nearly five centuries ago. The Cathedral in Kozhikode (formerly Calicut) “is the oldest church in Malabar and it has boosted evangelization in the region,” said Bishop Joseph Kalathiparambil of Calicut during the Oct. 29 rededication Mass, UCA News reports.
The rededication was held after the completion of the church’s latest restoration work which took 18 months and cost around 17 million rupees (US$360,000).
The Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, a private Portuguese organization that supports art and culture, contributed the lion’s share of funding for the renovation.
Calicut diocese collected some 2 million rupees through various fundraising schemes.
Malabar, the northern region of Kerala state, was made up of several princely states when Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama landed here after discovering the sea route from Europe to Asia in 1498.
The present cathedral now stands on the site of a chapel that Hindu king Bharanithirunnal Shaktan Thampuran, Zamorin of Calicut, had permitted European missioners to build in 1513.
The chapel was attached to the first factory the Portuguese built in Asia as part of a treaty they signed with the Zamorin, the title given to the local ruler.
Church records show the king had donated land and funds for the chapel construction.
The present cathedral used to be known as “Parangi Palli” or “church of the Portuguese.” It has preserved the images of the Virgin Mary, a crucifix and a painting of the Madonna and Child brought from Portugal.
In 1725, the Zamorin helped renovate the church with stone and mortar.
The “historic church stands as a landmark of history and church architecture of Malabar,” Bishop Kalathiparambil said.
K.V. Thomas, a junior federal minister who officiated at a public function after the Mass, hailed the church as the sign of religious harmony in the Malabar region and the “goodness of a Hindu king.”
P.K.S Raja, the present Zamorin who attended the function, expressed happiness that his forefathers had built the church.
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