Architecture is that great living creative spirit which from generation to generation, from age to age, proceeds, persists, creates, according to the nature of man, and his circumstances as they change. That is really architecture.”

—Frank Lloyd Wright,  In the Realm of Ideas

The Church in Kerala has always been a central source which has preserved the continuity of faith and tradition from one generation to the  next, through the mists of time. This article which references sevaral sources sheds light on the architecture of the Syrian Christian Churches found across Kerala. We will also discuss the possible reasons behind the choice of those particular  architectural characteristics.

The traditional Kerala form of architecture has buildings with low walls, sloping roof and projecting caves. The rooms had numerous openings by way of windows and apertures on the walls through which the houses could breathe in and the hip gables (mokappu) placed on the roofs allowed the hot air that rose up to flow out. If there were false ceilings below the roofs, the mokappu allowed the air to flow freely in and out of the air space thus allowing the roofs to breathe. This design mostly evolved from climatic considerations – for protection from excessive rain and intense solar radiation. The setting of the building in the open garden plot was again necessitated by the requirement of wind for giving comfort in the humid climate.

The natural building materials available for construction in Kerala are stones, timber, clay and palm leaves. Timber is the prime structural material abundantly available in many varieties in Kerala – from bamboo to teak. Perhaps the skilful choice of timber, accurate joinery, artful assembly and delicate carving of wood work for columns, walls and roofs frames are the unique characteristics of Kerala architecture. Clay was used in many forms – for walling, in filling the timber floors and making bricks and tiles after pugging and tempering with admixtures. Palm leaves were used effectively for thatching the roofs and for making partition walls.

Another noticeable feature of Kerala Church architecture is the preference for Laterite instead of  Granite which is seen in Stone Structures across the rest of India. Granite is a strong and durable building stone; however its availability is restricted to the Northern regions of Kerala. Laterite on the other hand is the most abundant stone found as outcrops in most parts of Kerala. Soft laterite available at shallow depth can be easily cut, dressed and used as building blocks. It is a rare local stone which gets stronger and durable with exposure at atmospheric air. Laterite blocks may be bonded in mortars of shell lime, which has been the classic binding material used in traditional buildings. Lime mortar can be improved in strength and performance by admixtures of vegetable juices. Such enriched mortars were used for plastering or for serving as the base for mural painting and low relief work.

From the limitations of the materials, a mixed mode of construction was evolved in Kerala architecture. The stone work was restricted to the plinth even in importat buildings such as temples. Laterite was used for walls. The roof structure in timber was covered with palm leaf thatching for most buildings and rarely with tiles for churches. The exterior of the laterite walls were either left as such or plastered with lime mortar to serve as the base for mural painting. The sculpturing of the stone was mainly moulding in horizontal bands in the plinth portion (adhistans) whereas the carving of timber covered all elements - pillars, beams, ceiling, rafters and the supporting brackets.

The Kerala murals are paintings with vegetable dyes on wet walls in subdued shades of brown. The indigenous adoption of the available raw materials and their transformation as enduring media for architectural expression thus became the dominant feature of the Kerala style.

The evolution of the Church architecture of Kerala springs from two sources – the first from the work of Apostle St. Thomas and the Syrian Christians and second from the missionary work of European settlers. The tradition has it that St. Thomas who landed in Musiris in 52 AD had seven churches built in Kerala at Kodungallur, Chayil, Palur, Paravur, Kollam, Niranom and Kothamangalam, but none of these churches are now extant. It is possible that some of the temples were adapted as churches for services by the population who accepted Christianity then. A striking example here is the present Palur church has preserved the ‘Abhisheka Patra’  and certain Saivite symbols as the relics of the old church which is said to have been a Hindu shrine adapted for Christian worship.

Since the early Christians lived in isolation, far from the main centres of Christianity they were not aware of the church building conventions of the rest of the Christian world which was itself in a state of flux then, adapting to Pagan and Zoroastrian themes; besides the community itself has a Hindu background and Hindu temples were their models for church building.

Historical evidences suggest that the first wave of Immigrants into Kerala came from Syria in the  fourth century A.D. owing to the persecution of Christians in the Persian empire. According to the narration of Byzantine monk Cosmos Indicoplestus, Kerala had many churches by 6th Century A.D.But the Syrians who had migrated to Kerala had brought with them some of the west Asian conventions in church architecture. Consequently churches evolved a distinctive style of church architecture called the 3-Tier Gabled structure.

Churches are always built to face East. The entrance to a church is from the West. There may be an entry porch (Shala) in front of the nave but when one is not provided, the entrance is throgh the large West Door. The Door is made of heavy timber and is adorned with ornamental carvings, floral brass studs, hinges and a built in lock. The door opens into the nave, or main body of the church, which is normally bare of all furniture since people kneel or stand during church service. The absence of furniture in churches could also be an influence of Hindu Tradition. Small mats are provided for the worshippers. However today, many churches have provided furniture for the seating comforts of the worshippers.

Towards the end of the nave there is sometimes a small wooden railing or low stone wall about 3 feet in height which encloses a space just before the sanctuary called the ‘katastroma’ or chancel. At the south side of the chancel, there is a stone font or basin in which infants are baptised, and when not in use, covered with a cloth. There may also be smaller atlars on either side of the chancel for occassional services and requiem masses.

The striking feature of the ‘katastroma’ is the large brass lamp hanging by brass chains from the roof. The lamp consists of a series of graded circular trays arranged in a tier suspended by chains. Each tray hold oil and along it’s circumference there are little niches in which wicks are arranged and lit. When the wicks in all trays are lit, the lamp presents the striking effect of a chandelier. This lamp is called a ‘nilavillakku’ which means a step-lamp, from the step of lights. In some churches the lamp is not hung from the roof by chains but consists of a brass stand with one or more trays to hold the wicks. The ‘nilavillakku’ is again a part of pure Hindu tradition.

Belfries were built on one side of the nave, but in smaller churches the bell was hung in an opening in the nave gable.

Frm the ‘katastroma’, three or more steps lead to the sanctuary which is joined to the nave by an arch, the walls and roof of which are higher than the rest of the church building. This is the most sacred part of the church. The tower over the chancel soared higher than the roof of the nave similar to the shikhara over the garbhagriha in a Hindu temple. The sanctuary is screened off from the nave by a curtain hung on a rod running across the arch which can be drawn by cords. The curtain is in Greek called ‘iconostasis’, a screen which conceals the altar from the worshippers except at those points in the liturgy when its doors are opened.

In the center of the sanctuary, with one or more steps leading up to it is the high altar, consisting of a built up masonry structure about six feet by two or three feet in width and four feet in height. The front of the altar facing the congregation is ornamented, either by a carved wooden frontal or draped with an embroidered silk altar cloth. On it stands a wooden cross with candlesticks on either side. No crucifixes or images are normally found in the church, except in ones following the Syrian Catholic persuasion.

The end wall behind the altar is bare, so that the entire attention of the congregation is directed to the cross which is the central feature of worship. There is a small space behind the altar between it and the end wall of the church. Here there is often a small chamber which serves as a small cupboard for the priest.

Related NSC Network Articles

• What Every Nasrani Needs to Know–And Doesn’t
• The Mural tradition of Kerala Churches
• Focus III- Cheppad St. George Church
• Ancient Churches with traditional dates of foundation & Stone Crosses of Kerala- Saint Thomas Cross, Nazraney Sthambams and other Persian Crosses
• Focus I- Ramapuram twin churches, Role, History & Rituals
• Churches on demolition line – Ramapuram Twin Churches
• Some of the traditions and rituals among the Syrian Christians of Kerala

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