Place · Marian pilgrimage church · India
Kuravilangad
Also known as Marth Mariam Church Kuravilangad
The Marth Mariam Forane Church at Kuravilangad in Kottayam district, Kerala, 25 kilometres from Kottayam — one of the oldest Marian pilgrimage shrines in India, with Thomas Christian tradition dating the church to 105 CE as the first church dedicated to the Virgin Mary in India (though scholars date the current structure to 335 CE). The church is a Syro-Malabar Catholic shrine administered by the Pala eparchy. The Kuravilangad apparition tradition (3-century Marian visitation to children) makes the shrine one of the three Marian pilgrimages of central Kerala alongside Vallarpadam (Kochi) and Bharananganam. The annual Marian feast each 8-15 September draws over 500,000 pilgrims from across Kerala.
- Function
- Religious institution & practice
- Patron dynasty
- Travancore · Indian Union
- Confidence
- Established / referenced
- Location
- 9.837, 76.581
Connections (1)
- Site withinKottayam
Kuravilangad sits within Kottayam district, Kerala, 25 kilometres from the Kottayam city centre. The Marth Mariam Forane Church (traditional 105 CE Thomas Christian foundation, current structure c.335 CE) is the oldest Marian pilgrimage shrine in India and anchors the central Kerala Marian pilgrimage network. The 2004 Vatican International Shrine designation of nearby Malayattoor and the Pala-Bharananganam Marian circuit together form the central Kerala Catholic pilgrimage geography centred on Kottayam district.
Sources
Standard reference; district gazetteer and Wikipedia.
Open Kuravilangad in the repository →