Manarcad Church
Manarcad Marthamariam Cathedral (St. Mary's Cathedral), is a Jacobite Syrian Christian Church located about 10 km from the town of Kottayam in Kerala, India and a destination for people on annual pilgrimages seeking the blessings of the Virgin Mary.The practice of the eight-day fast (ettu nombu) and the celebration of the Feast of Virgin Mary's birth between September 1–8 every year form part of an ancient tradition that continues to attract millions of devotees. During fast days, hundreds of thousands of people from the far corners of the world come to Manarcad to seek the blessings of the Virgin Mary. During his 2004 apostolic visit, Moran Mor Ignatius Zakka II, Patriarch of Antioch and all the East and Supreme head of the Universal Syrian Orthodox Church, elevated St Mary's to the status of 'Cathedral' and 'Universal Marian Pilgrim Centre'.
Read more about Manarcad Church: History, Parish and Traditions, Stone Cross, Feasts, Administration, The Small Church and The Crosses, Prayers and Religious Ceremonies, Schools
Famous quotes containing the word church:
“The church is a sort of hospital for men’s souls, and as full of quackery as the hospital for their bodies. Those who are taken into it live like pensioners in their Retreat or Sailor’s Snug Harbor, where you may see a row of religious cripples sitting outside in sunny weather.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)