Holy Cross Church, Mattancherry

**Holy Cross Church**, commonly known as the **Coonan Kurisu Church** (Bent Cross Church), is a historic Latin Catholic church located in Mattancherry, Kochi, in the Indian state of Kerala. Under the administration of the Diocese of Cochin, the church is a notable site where both Christians and non-Christians come to pray. It is historically significant as the location of the Coonan Cross Oath of 1653.

#### History

The church was originally established by Portuguese missionaries in A.D. 1550 as a chapel devoted to the Holy Cross. Mattancherry was a major center of trade at the time, and the Portuguese had already found success in their missionary work in the region, having previously established the Our Lady of Life Church nearby.
Tensions arose between the Portuguese missionaries, who were backed by the _Padroado_ system, and the indigenous Saint Thomas Christians. The Portuguese were reluctant to accept the local traditions of the Saint Thomas Christians, which they viewed with suspicion. The Synod of Diamper in 1599 formally brought the Saint Thomas Christians under the control of Latin bishops and Latinized their liturgy, actions that were deeply resented by the local community.

#### Coonan Cross Oath

In 1652, a figure named Ahatallah arrived in India. He claimed to have been commissioned by the Pope as the "Patriarch of the Whole of India and of China". The Portuguese authorities deemed him an impostor and arrested him. The Saint Thomas Christians, who saw him as a potential leader to free them from Portuguese ecclesiastical control, were outraged when he was shipped from Mylapore to Goa by the Portuguese and never heard from again. Rumors spread that he had been murdered by the Portuguese, possibly drowned in the Cochin harbour.
In response, on January 3, 1653, a large group of Saint Thomas Christians gathered at the Holy Cross Church in Mattancherry. Led by their Archdeacon, Thomas, they took an oath before a cross that they would not remain under the subjugation of the Portuguese missionaries. The event is known as the _Coonan Kurisu Satyam_ (Oath of the Bent Cross). According to tradition, the cross is said to have bent in sympathy with the oath-takers, giving the church its popular name. The oath marked a major schism, leading to the establishment of the Malankara (Jacobite) Syrian tradition alongside the Latin Catholic Church in Kerala.

#### Local traditions

The church's cross has long been a focal point of local devotion. A tradition recorded in the church's novena book recounts that a local merchant, after losing valuable possessions, began to pray at the foot of the cross. Days later, the thief returned the stolen goods, saying he had found no peace after the theft. As a result, the cross has acquired various local names in Malayalam, including _Panthan Kurishu_ (cross that helps travellers) and _Bhranthan Kurishu_ (cross that can "madden" wrongdoers like thieves). Today, it is commonly referred to as _Kuriyachchan_ (literally "Father Cross") by the residents of Kochi.

## Infobox (church)

- **name**: Holy Cross Church
- **other name**: Coonan Kurisu Church
- **native name**: കൂനൻ കുരിശ് പള്ളി
- **native name lang**: ml
- **image**: Mattancherry_Kuriachan_Church_by_Augustus_Binu.jpg
- **map caption**: Location in Kochi, India
- **location**: Mattancherry, Kochi
- **country**: India
- **denomination**: Latin Catholic
- **tradition**: Roman Rite
- **founded date**: 1550
- **founder**: Portuguese Empire, Portuguese missionaries
- **status**: Church (building), Church
- **functional status**: Active
- **diocese**: Roman Catholic Diocese of Cochin, Diocese of Cochin