At Our Lady of Life Church, Mattanchery, the Holy Cross — beloved as Kuriyachan — has stood since 1550. Here, on 3 January 1653, the faithful held the rope bound to the cross and made the oath remembered as the Koonan Kurishu Sathyam.
Declaring that they would not accept the Jesuit missionaries, they held the rope bound to the cross and made, on 3 January 1653, the oath that is the Koonan Kurish Sathyam.
Our Lady of Life Church (Jeevamatha Palli) in Mattanchery stands as the silent witness to one of the most consequential moments in the Christian history of India. This site preserves that story for the Latin Catholic faithful of the Diocese of Cochin and pilgrims the world over.
The cross planted by the wayside — the Vrantha Kurish, as the Portuguese called it — was ever a refuge for those who came to Kochi for trade and commerce. Stepping up to the cross for even a moment, they found consolation. In those days a great many goods were stolen from a merchant of Mattanchery. Having lost everything, the man sat at the steps of the cross and began to pray. Days later a person suffering distress of mind came to the steps of the cross, begged pardon for the wrong done through his want of knowledge, and handed the goods back.
From that day the awe, devotion and reverence of the faithful toward the Holy Cross grew, and the Vrantha Kurish became the Bhranthan Kurish, and thereafter came to be Kuriyachan. To this day thousands arrive in the shade of that faith, seeking solace for their broken families, their broken minds and their abandonment.
Nossa Senhora da Vida — the mother parish that guards the Holy Cross of Mattanchery and the memory of the 1653 oath.
Holy Cross · Coonan Cross
Holy Mass, novena and blessings at the Koonan Kurishu Pilgrim Centre — with special liturgies every Friday.
On the first Friday of every month, the Veneration of the Holy Cross is held at 7:30 PM.
Feasts, liturgies and observances at the Holy Cross shrine and the church at Mattanchery.
Recent gatherings, ministries and updates from the shrine and the community.
Where the shrine sits in Mattanchery — the landmarks around it, with the real distance and direction of each, measured from Our Lady of Life Church.
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Our Lady of Life Church (Jeevamatha) on Bazar Road — the Coonan Kurisu Pilgrim Centre and home of the Holy Cross of the 1653 oath. Your destination.
Hover or tap a landmark to see its distance and direction from the shrine.
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