About Ollur Church in Ollur Church, Thrissur

The St. Anthony's Syro-Malabar Catholic Forane Church is located at Ollur, Thrissur city in Kerala, India. The church belongs to Syro-Malabar Catholic Archdiocese of Thrissur. According to rough figures there are around 4,000 Christian families in the parish. Because of the huge presence of Christian people in Ollur, with its religious, educational, medical, social-service, and secular organisations and institution, Ollur has been called as Chinna Roma (Small Rome). The church is constructed on a hill-top which is the highest location in the area. The church is surrounded by a huge protective compound wall called Elephant Wall (Aana Mathil).

When Thrissur Vicariate Apostolic was erected in 1887, Ollur was the richest, most populous, and influential parish, so much that the Vicar of the Ollur parish and a priest from the parish were included in Adolph Medlycott's four-member diocesan apex council. A vicar and parish priest assisted by three priests in addition to the dozens of Rev. Sisters work for church regularly. St. Anthony's Forane Church has 18 churches under its jurisdiction.

History
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Previously, the Ollur Christian population went to Mass in Puzuvial church. One day one of the woman of the Chiramel Kalliyath family missed Mass in Puzuvial church. Disappointed, she told this to her son and asked him to construct a church in Ollur. After this, land donated by Malaekal Karthakal was used for building a new church in Ollur.[2] According to church records, in 1718 a temporary Church was constructed and the first Mass was conducted.[3]
Festivals
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Feast of Saint Raphael, Ollur, the Archangel, is the most important festival of Ollur church falling on October 23 and 24 of each year. Another festival is in honor of Saint Sebastian in the month of January and is the second major festival in the parish. Also, Ollur parish celebrates around 73 feasts and festivals in the calendar year.

Art and architecture
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If there is any church in Kerala which can be compared with Sistine Chapel in the Vatican City, that is St. Anthony’s Forane Church in Ollur. Every inch of space in the church is decorated, under both western and indigenous influences, with the highest achievements of the painter, the sculptor, the ceramics worker, the carpenter, the goldsmith, the bronze artisan, or the architect - using every media known or imaginable like gold, silver, iron, bronze, wood, ivory, stone - including laterite, granite, and precious stones.

A unique feature of the church is the number and variety of the angel images in the church. There are more than five thousand images of angels in the church, in fresco, mural, wood, plaster, stone, metal and ivory. The paintings of the church cover an area of thousands of square feet and are considered one of the most beautiful ones in entire Kerala.

Belfry
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The seven storey Belfry or Bell tower (125 feet) of the church is said to be the tallest structure in South India when it was constructed. The huge three bells in the bell tower were imported from Marseilles in France (1883-1892) in 19th century and is one of biggest bells in Kerala.[4][5][6] The bells are inscribed with the pictures of Jesus, Saint Joseph, Mary (mother of Jesus), Saint Anthony, Raphael (archangel) and Tobias. Owned by Ollur church is written in the bells in Syriac language and Malayalam

Liberation struggle
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In 1959 Catholics took to the streets of Kerala to protest against the first Communist Government in the world headed by E. M. S. Namboodiripad. This was known as Vimochana Samaram or Liberation Struggle. The confrontation was sparked by a state law that would have effectively taken over Catholic education facilities. In the same year, on July 23, Kerala Police fired at the St. Anthony's Forane Church on the part of Liberation Struggle. A memorial had been erected at the church courtyard then. The memorial says, Communist Government fired bullets to the Church here. The struggle of 1959 had led to the dismissal of the first democratically elect Communist Government in the world.
Churches under Ollur Parish
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1) Ollur
2) Ammadam
3) Kodannur
4) Marathakara
5) Padavaratt
6) Palackal
7) Pallissery
8) Perinchery
9) Pootharackal
10) Pulakkattukara
11) Thaikkattussery
12) Thalore
13) Vallachira
14) Venginissery

Institutions under the parish
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Church dedicated for the dead and cemetery in the compound of St Antony’s Forane Church, Ollur

Holy Angels English Medium Higher Secondary School, Ollur
St. Raphael's Convent Girls Higher Secondary School, Ollur
St.Mary's School, Chiyyaram, Ollur
St.Joseph's Higher Secondary School Anakkallu, Ollur

Catholic organizations working in the parish
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C.L.C.
Legion of Mary (Women)
Legion of Mary (Men)
Mathrusangam
K.C.Y.M.
St. Vincent De Paul Society
Catholic Union
Franciscan Sabha
ABA (Alter Boys Association)

Religious houses in the parish
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St. Mary's Convent
Our Lady Fathima Matha Convent
St. Vincent De Paul Convent
F.C.C. Convent
Galilee Retreat Centre
Malabar Missionery Brothers Home
John Haw Covent
Sadhu Samrakshana Sangham