St.Mary's Church

             According to the popular belief, the Marth  Mariam Valiya Pally at Kothamangalam (St. Mary's  Jacobite Syrian Orthodox Church) was founded in  the 4th century by a few Syriac Christian families  who migrated from Paravur and Angamali. Among  the later Christian inhabitants of the place  included a few Syrian Knanaites who eventually  intermingled with the local Christian community.  (Knanaites are those Syrian Orthodox Christians  who migrated to Malabar from the Syrian  province of Roman Empire in AD 345, under the  leadership 'Thomas of Cana'/'Knai Thoma' and  Mor Joseph Metropolitan).

There is also a view that this church was established in AD 1340 by four Syriac Christian merchants who bought the entire land at Kothamangalam from a local chief for commodity trading with the nearby state of Tamilnadu. According to this story, Kothamangalam became a major commercial centre from this period onwards.

The Marth Mariam church at Kothamangalam, commonly known as 'VALIYAPALLY' (Big church) is the oldest of all the churches in the region. The famous Marthoma Cheriapally (Small church) at Kothamangalam, founded by the 18 families that separated from the old church (Valiyapally) in 1455, is located at a very short distance from Valiyapally. Both these churches are situated in nearby hilltops.

The altars in the Martha Mariam church are dedicated to the Mother of God, Geevarghese Sahdo (St.George), St.John the Baptist, Apostles St.Peter & St.Paul and St.Thomas. The most important festivals of the church are celebrated on 10 February and 15 August. A small portion of the soonoro of St.Mary, rediscovered at the Syrian Orthodox Church at Homs in 1955 by Patriarch Mor Aphrem I, was established in this church in 1980 by the diocesan Metropolitan Thomas Mor Dionysius

All the five Patriarchs of Antioch who had visited Malankara in the last two centuries came to this church as well. Last of these Patriarchal visits was that of His Holiness Ignatius Zakka I Iwas in 1982. It was during this historical visit the Holy Patriarch had ordained an assistant metropolitan for the diocese, at the Kothamangalam Cheriapally.

As per the biography of St. Gregorios of Malankara (Chathuruthy Kochu Thirumeni) written by Mookencheril Paily Varkey in 1903, Palakunnath Mathews Mor Athanasius ordained the saintly Gregorios Thirumeni as Korooyo in this church in 1858. (There is another view that St. Gregorios entered the first stage of deacon hood at Karingachira St. George Jacobite Syrian church).

From 1974 to 1997, the building adjacent to the Valiyapally was the bishop's residence of the diocesan Metropolitan. A technical institute owned by the Marth Mariam Valiyapally is also situated very near to the church. Various spiritual organizations like Marth Mariam Vanitha Samajam, Sunday School, Prayer groups, Youth Association etc. have branches in this church. There is one chapel and 5 shrines under the Kothamangalam Valiyapally. Since 1936, the parish is administered as per the registered agreement formulated under the guidance of the then diocesan Metropolitan Mor Athanasius Paulose (Saintly Valiya Thirumeni, the Malankara Metropolitan 1918-'53). There are at present more than 700 families in this parish.