A Turning Point in the History of the St. Thomas Christians
The Synod of Diamper (Malayalam: ഉദയംപേരൂർ സൂനഹദോസ്, Portuguese: Sínodo de Diamper), held from 20–26 June 1599 at the church of Udayamperoor (Diamper), a town near modern-day Kochi in Kerala, India, remains one of the most controversial events in the history of Christianity in India. Convened by the Latin-rite Portuguese Archbishop of Goa, Aleixo de Menezes, it forcibly brought the ancient Saint Thomas Christian community (also called Nasranis or Malankara Christians) under the authority of the Roman Catholic Church and the Padroado system of Portugal.
Historical Background : The St. Thomas Christians of Kerala traced their origins to the apostle Thomas, who is traditionally believed to have arrived in Muziris (Kodungallur) in 52 CE. For over 1,500 years, they had maintained an East Syriac (Chaldean) liturgical tradition and ecclesiastical communion with the Church of the East (often misleadingly called “Nestorian” in Western sources). Their bishops were sent from the Catholicos-Patriarch of Seleucia-Ctesiphon (later Baghdad).
After Vasco da Gama’s arrival in 1498, the Portuguese assumed that these ancient Christians were part of the universal Catholic Church but had been cut off from Rome because of Islamic domination of the Middle East. In reality, the St. Thomas Christians had their own distinct hierarchy under an archdeacon (Arkadiyokon) and were perfectly content with their East Syriac rite and theology.
The Portuguese, driven by both missionary zeal and colonial ambitions, sought to:
- Bring the St. Thomas Christians under the jurisdiction of the Latin Archbishop of Goa and the King of Portugal (Padroado Real).
- “Purify” their liturgy and customs from supposed “Nestorian heresies” and local Hindu influences.
- Establish Portuguese political and ecclesiastical control over the lucrative Malabar pepper trade.
Tensions grew throughout the 16th century. Several attempts at union failed because the St. Thomas Christians refused to abandon their ancient rites and autonomy.
Immediate Causes of the Synod : In 1597, Archbishop Aleixo de Menezes arrived in Goa with extraordinary powers from Pope Clement VIII. After the death of the last East Syriac bishop, Mar Abraham, in 1597, the St. Thomas Christian community was left without a bishop. Menezes saw this as the perfect opportunity.
In 1599, Menezes made a dramatic pastoral visit across Kerala, using a combination of persuasion, promises, intimidation, and occasional force. He won over many priests and lay leaders by promising to ordain local clergy and provide Latin stipends. The powerful Archdeacon George of the Cross (Giorgi da Cruz), the traditional leader of the community, initially resisted but eventually submitted under pressure.
Menezes summoned all priests, representatives, and the archdeacon to a synod at Udayamperoor.
What Happened at the Synod (20–26 June 1599)
- Around 800 clergy and lay representatives attended.
- The synod was conducted entirely in Portuguese and Latin; most participants did not understand the languages.
- Archbishop Menezes presided and essentially dictated the proceedings.
- A total of 199 decrees (spread across 9 actions or sessions) were passed.
Major Decisions and Reforms
Area | Pre-Synod Practice | Changes Imposed by the Synod |
|---|---|---|
Ecclesiology | Under Church of the East, led by Archdeacon | Declared full submission to the Pope and the Archbishop of Goa; Archdeacon reduced to a minor role |
Liturgy | East Syriac (Chaldean) Anaphora of Addai & Mari | Ordered Latinization: removal of references to Nestorius, mandatory use of Roman rituals in many places |
Scripture & Books | Syriac Peshitta and East Syriac fathers | All books suspected of Nestorianism burned; only Latin-approved texts allowed |
Clergy | Married priests common; hereditary succession | Celibacy encouraged; seminaries under Jesuit control introduced |
Sacraments | Leavened bread, communion in both kinds sometimes | Latin unleavened bread mandated; several local customs abolished |
Fasting & Calendar | Followed East Syriac fasts | Adoption of Roman calendar and fasting rules |
Relations with Hindus | Some social customs shared (e.g., sacred thread) | Forbidden as “superstitions”; caste distinctions among Christians condemned (though not fully eradicated) |
The most infamous act was the public burning of Syriac liturgical books and theological texts that the Portuguese deemed heretical.
The final act of the synod forced every priest and representative to sign (or make their mark on) a profession of faith and obedience to Rome.
Immediate Aftermath
- In 1599 itself, Menezes appointed the Jesuit Francis Roz as the first Latin-rite Bishop (later Archbishop) of Angamaly (soon transferred to Cranganore), effectively ending the independent East Syriac hierarchy.
- The St. Thomas Christians initially accepted the changes, partly out of fear and partly because many believed Rome and the Church of the East were in communion.
- Jesuit seminaries were established, and a generation of priests was trained in the Latin rite.
Long-term Consequences and the Coonan Cross Oath (1653)Within a few decades, resentment grew:
- Latin bishops treated local clergy as inferior.
- Ancient liturgies were suppressed.
- The Archdeacon was sidelined.
- Promises of ordaining indigenous bishops were broken.
This culminated in the Coonan Cross Oath of January 1653 at Mattancherry, where tens of thousands of St. Thomas Christians swore never again to obey the Jesuit bishops or the Portuguese. Roughly two-thirds of the community eventually aligned with the Syriac Orthodox Church of Antioch (forming today’s Malankara Orthodox and Jacobite churches), while the remainder stayed with Rome and later developed into the Syro-Malabar Catholic Church.
Thus, the Synod of Diamper, intended to unify the St. Thomas Christians with Rome, ironically became the primary cause of the permanent schism in the community that persists to this day.
Legacy
The Synod of Diamper is remembered very differently by different groups:
- The Syro-Malabar Catholic Church (in communion with Rome) views it as a necessary, if heavy-handed, purification from Nestorian errors and a step toward full communion.
- The Malankara Orthodox/Jacobite and other non-Catholic St. Thomas Christian denominations regard it as an act of cultural and ecclesiastical imperialism that destroyed their ancient heritage.
Historians today generally see it as a classic example of 16th-century colonial Latinization that ignored the legitimate diversity within the Catholic Church, a policy that Vatican II would later reverse.
The original Malayalam and Portuguese acts of the synod are preserved, and modern scholarship (notably works by Jonas Thaliath, Placid Podipara, and Jacob Kollaparambil) has shown how many of the “heresies” attributed to the St. Thomas Christians were either misunderstandings or deliberate misrepresentations by the Portuguese.
In the end, the Synod of Diamper did not succeed in its goal of total Latinization, but instead ensured that the St. Thomas Christian tradition, though wounded, would survive in multiple branches—each proudly claiming the legacy of the Apostle Thomas in India.
The Coonan Cross Oath (1653):
The Great Revolt of the St. Thomas Christians
Date: 3 January 1653 (Malayalam Era: 828 Makaram 3)
Place: Mattancherry (near present-day Kochi), in front of the Church of Our Lady (now known as Koonan Kurishu Pally)
Other names: Koonan Kurishu Satyam (Bent Cross Oath), Coonan Cross Revolt
Background: Why It Happened
The Synod of Diamper (1599) and the 50 years that followed created deep resentment among the St. Thomas Christians:
- Their ancient East Syriac liturgy was suppressed and Latinized.
- The Portuguese Jesuit bishops (especially Francis Garcia, 1641–1659) treated local priests and the traditional leader, the Archdeacon, with contempt.
- No native bishop was ever appointed despite repeated promises.
- The Jesuits interfered in community affairs and even tried to confiscate church properties.
- In 1652, a Syrian bishop named Ahatallah (or Ignatius Ahattallah), sent from the Patriarch of Antioch, arrived in Mylapore and then Surat. Rumours spread that he had reached Cochin and was immediately arrested by the Portuguese and secretly drowned at sea by the Jesuits.
When news of Ahatallah’s death reached Kerala in late 1652, the St. Thomas Christians exploded in anger. They saw it as the final proof that the Portuguese would never allow them to have their own bishops again.
The Event of 3 January 1653
- Tens of thousands (traditional accounts say 25,000 families) gathered at Mattancherry on 3 January 1653.
- A large wooden cross stood in front of the church.
- The leaders, led by Archdeacon Thomas Pakalomattam (cousin of the previous archdeacon), tied ropes to the cross and held them while taking the oath (the cross bent slightly under the pressure, hence the name “Bent Cross”).
- The oath was sworn in Malayalam. The most accepted version is:
“By the Father, Son and Holy Ghost that henceforth we would not adhere to the Franks (Portuguese), nor accept the faith of the Pope, nor would we obey the Jesuit Fathers, nor submit to the King of Portugal. We will obey only the Archdeacon Thomas and those who come after him.”
- After the oath, twelve priests laid hands on Archdeacon Thomas and proclaimed him bishop with the title Mar Thoma I (this was irregular by both Catholic and Orthodox canons, but done out of desperation).
Immediate Aftermath
- The Portuguese and Jesuit Archbishop Francis Garcia tried to suppress the revolt with force, but failed.
- The rebels gained control of most churches in central and southern Kerala.
- The Portuguese retained influence only in a few coastal parishes where Latin-rite Syro-Malabar Catholics later developed.
The Great Split of the St. Thomas Christians1653 marks the decisive division that still exists today:
Group | Path Taken After 1653 | Present-Day Churches |
|---|---|---|
Puthenkoottukar (“New Allegiance”) | Rejected Portuguese authority; sought bishops from the Syriac Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch | Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church (autocephalous since 1912) Jacobite Syrian Christian Church (under Antioch) Malankara Mar Thoma Syrian Church (reformed, 19th century) |
Pazhayakoottukar (“Old Allegiance”) | Remained with the Portuguese Jesuits and Rome | Syro-Malabar Catholic Church (Eastern-rite Catholic, restored East Syriac liturgy after Vatican II) |
Long-term Consequences
- 1661–1663: The Dutch expelled the Portuguese from Cochin. This ended Portuguese political power and allowed the non-Catholic faction to consolidate.
- 1665: The first Syriac Orthodox bishop, Mar Gregorios Abdul Jaleel of Jerusalem, arrived secretly in Kerala, validated the consecration of Mar Thoma I, and regularized communion with Antioch.
- The split became permanent. Even today, the various St. Thomas Christian denominations trace their division back to the Coonan Cross Oath.
Legacy & Commemoration
- The original bent cross is preserved at the Koonan Kurishu Pally in Mattancherry.
- Every year on 3 January, the Malankara Orthodox and Jacobite churches celebrate the event as Koonan Kurishu Satyam Day – a symbol of resistance against colonial religious domination.
- Historians now agree that while the oath was a dramatic act of defiance, a small portion of the community remained with Rome from the beginning. The traditional claim that “the entire community revolted and only 400 families stayed with Rome” is an exaggeration, but the majority did break away.
The Coonan Cross Oath remains the single most important turning point in the 2,000-year history of Christianity in India, transforming a once-united St. Thomas Christian community into the multiple denominations we see today.