Portuguese cathedral tells a historic tale

KOZHIKODE: With a history dating back to 1513, the Mother of God Cathedral  in the  heart of the city is among the oldest churches in Malabar.

The cathedral parish of the diocese of Kozh-ikode, which  started functioning from the time of the Portuguese, stands as the  pride of Malabar  where  hundreds of worshippers throng from various places.

The Portuguese entered into a treaty with the Zamorins of Kozhikode and later built a  factory here.  A chapel dedicated to the Mother of God Cathedral  was attached to this factory. 

It  houses a stone cross struck in bas relief on granite with a Portuguese inscription. Sister Preethi George, a member of the cathedral,  said, “There is a long tradition behind  the  Mother of God Cathedral and it serves as a model church for all parish churches in style and content of  ritual celebrations.”

According to the cathedral authorities,  “The setting up of the church  opened a new era for the  congregation of the diocese of Calicut.  The church stands with all its pomp and pride without any changes in its brilliant architectural style, except for some minor renovations carried out,” they said.

In 1923, the church became the Cathedral of the Diocese of Calicut. One of the major attractions of the church  is the 200-year-old portrait of St. Mary on its wall.   The tomb stones in the church have the name  ‘Pedro de Covilhany,’ the first Catholic missionary to come to Kozhikode.

The cathedral is said to have been designed by Italian architects who were brought all the way to Kozhikode. The curved arches on the doors and windows and  colonnade on the spires stand as testimonies to the aesthetic sense of the Italian architects.  The skill  of the Indian workers who converted the architects’ vision into concrete form is also evident.