Porte della Misericordia

St. Thomas the Apostle of Christ landed in 52 A.D. at Kodungallur, the first century west coast harbor of Kerala (Pliny’s Premium Emporium India) and went on to establish seven churches for the faithful he evangelized in Kerala. Only one of the seven churches could claim continuous existence in the same location from the time of the Apostle. The church at Palayur is unique in that the present church has a continuous history of two millennia and stands on the same spot where the Apostle first established it. The first church founded by St. Thomas continued to exist for many centuries. In 1607 the Italian Jesuit Fr. Fenecio S.J., after obtaining due permission from the ecclesiastical authorities, constructed a more convenient church around the existing old structure for the parish of Palayur.
The Palayur church was elevated as the first Archdiocesan pilgrim centre on 16th April 2000. The relic of St. Thomas conveyed from Ortona, Italy was established in the main altar of the church. The 30km long annual Lenten Mahatheerthadanam of great pilgrimage on foot from Thrissur to Palayur has conducted in every year
The main monuments are: 1) Boat Jetty (Bottukulam) where St Thomas landed at Palayoor. 2) Thaliyakulam -The pond where St Thomas baptized the local people. 3) The replica of Chinna Malai (of Mylapore – Madras) where St Thomas attained martyrdom. 4) The historical remnants of old Aryan Temple. 5) Historical Museum.