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Those who visit Bangalore never forget to watch the pristine St.Mary's Cathedral. In the year 1882 a French missionary built this church. The church has a grand gothic-style basilica, with an impressive tower and typically gothic pointed arches. This speaks volume of communal harmony. People belonging to various faiths and belief visit this church in large number. People who are non Christians attend the annual St. Mary's feast. The church remains open from morning till evening for all visitors through out the day. This gesture from the church authority has a disadvantage, as beggars in large number flock the surrounding which makes the church dirty and thickly populated.
St.Mary's Cathedral is the kind of building, where typical examples
of the European influence can be seen. This makes it one of the fine examples
of heritage monuments of Bangalore.
History: The History of the Syrian Christians in Bangalore began when
the Keralites, migrated during the early phase of 20th Century. Their main motive
for this migration was economical and educational. The numerical growth of Syrian
Christians created a demand for a worshipping place, since this community is
a worshiping one. This was the result why Syrian Christian worship started in
Bangalore by 1936. Unfortunately during this period, the internal problems of
the church in Malankara affected the regular worship in Bangalore. In the year
1958 unity among the two fractions of the Malankara church happened which paved
the way to the growth of the activities of the church in Bangalore. But the
whole situation changed in 1975 when the clouds of conflicts erupted in the
church for the second time by the Catholicose faction, declaring the independence
from the Universal Syrian Orthodox Church. This significant event in the history
of the Malankara church initiated the break up, and to build their own empire.
Those who declared their allegiance with the throne of Antioch (Universal Syrian
Orthodox church under the Holy See of Antioch), came together under one roof
and formed St. Mary's Jacobite Syrian Orthodox Church at Queens Road in Bangalore.
This how the St.Mary's Cathedral, Bangalore was born.
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