Roman Catholic Diocese of Kottar
| Diocese of Kottar Dioecesis Kottarensis கோட்டாறு மறைமாவட்டம் | |
|---|---|
 Cathedral of St Francis Xavier, The Mother Church of the Diocese | |
| Location | |
| Country | India |
| Ecclesiastical province | Madurai |
| Metropolitan | Madurai |
| Coordinates | 8°11′00.9″N 77°24′42.7″E / 8.183583°N 77.411861°ECoordinates: 8°11′00.9″N 77°24′42.7″E / 8.183583°N 77.411861°E |
| Statistics | |
| Area | 1,665 km2 (643 sq mi) |
| Population - Total - Catholics |
(as of 2004) 1,720,250 477,174 (27.7%) |
| Parishes | 170 |
| Information | |
| Denomination | Roman Catholic |
| Rite | Latin Rite |
| Established | 26 May 1930 |
| Cathedral | Cathedral of St Francis Xavier in Kottar |
| Patron saint | St. Francis Xavier |
| Current leadership | |
| Pope | His Holiness Francis |
| Bishop | Peter Remigius |
| Metropolitan Archbishop | Peter Fernando |
| Vicar General | Solomon S |
| Website | |
| Official website | |
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Kottar (Latin: Kottaren(sis), Tamil: கோட்டாறு மறைமாவட்டம்) is a diocese located at Kottar in the town of Nagercoil, Tamil Nadu. It comes under the ecclesiastical province of Madurai.[1]
History
Cathedral of St. Francis Xavier (Kottar) was built by St. Francis Xavier in 1544 AD. The cathedral was rebuilt in 1603, expanded in both 1713 and 1806.[2] The Kottar parish was a constituent of Malabar Vicariate since 1657 AD and came under Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Verapoly.[3] Again it became the southern center of Diocese of Quilon when it was formed in 1853 AD. Diocese of Kollam was again bifurcated and the Diocese of Kottar was established on May 26, 1930 AD.[4] Due to linguistic reasons as per reorganization of States, Kottar diocese was formally detached from Archdiocese of Verapoly (Kerala) and attached with Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Madurai (Tamil Nadu) in 1963.[3] Devasahayam Pillai, a martyr of the christian faith, was born (1712 AD) and martyred (1752 AD) here.[5]
Oldest churches
- Amalagiri church dedicated to Mother Mary in Thiruvithancode built by Thomas the Apostle in 57 AD.[6] It is also called Thiruvithamcode Arappally which is, however, under the administration of Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church at present.
- St. Xavier′s Church, Kottar -the Cathedral Church of Kottar diocese built in 1600 AD, over the small chapel originally built by St. Francis Xavier in 1544 AD.
List of bishops of Kottar
- Bishop Peter Remigius (June 30, 2007 – present)
- Bishop Leon Augustine Tharmaraj (November 14, 1988 – January 16, 2007)
- Bishop Marianus Arokiasamy (later Archbishop) (November 23, 1970 – July 3, 1987)
- Bishop Thomas Roch Agniswami, S.J. (January 5, 1939 – November 23, 1970)
- Bishop Lorenzo Pereira (May 26, 1930 – January 7, 1938)
- Bishop Aloysius Benziger[7]
References
- ↑ Cheney, David M. "Madurai (Archdiocese) [Catholic-Hierarchy]". www.catholic-hierarchy.org. Retrieved 16 September 2016.
- ↑ "St. Francis Xavier's footprints across the country". The Hindu. 4 December 2006. Retrieved 24 September 2016.
- 1 2 "Diocese of Kottar". www.kottardiocese.org. Retrieved 16 September 2016.
- ↑ "History of St. Xavier's Cathedral, Kotta" (PDF). www.francisxaviers.com. Retrieved 16 September 2016.
- ↑ "INDIA A gift for the Year of Faith: the beatification of the first Indian layman". www.asianews.it. Retrieved 16 September 2016.
- ↑ Dr. Issac Arul Dhas G, `Kumari Mannil Christhavam` (Tamil), Scott Christian College, Nagercoil, 2010, ISBN 978-81-8465-204-8. Page7.
- ↑ "Diocese of Kottar". www.kottardiocese.org. Retrieved 16 September 2016.