St. Sebastian's Church, Neyyassery, Kerala.- an old and sanctified church

Navrang India December 24, 2018

The Indian Express
Nave, St Sebastian's Church, Neyyassery,KeralaRevolvy
t Sebastian's Church, Neyyassery,Kerala/en.wikipedia.org
Located in a serene rural ambiance in Neyyassery, a village in Kerala, St. Sebastian's Church is an important destination for Christians who come to this place from Kerala and neighboring states for blessing, peace of mind and to be free from physical and mental agony. It is 11 km away from Thodupuzha, Idukki district and was first built in 1852 AD (foundation stone was laid) and  later was rebuilt in 1992 for various reasons. It is to be noted that the very first stone  for the new church was laid on an auspicious day - on the feast day of Angel Michael (archangel). This is the reason why the parish celebrates Michael angel's feast and Saint Sebastian's feasts every year with much religious fervor and enthusiasm.
This church being  part of the Syro Malabar Church, it is patronized by St. Thomas Christians  community, the oldest  one in India dating back to almost first century.  The major celebration is  Feast day of Saint Sebastian as St.Sebastian is the patron of the church. This old church is one the few churches in India where patron saint is St. Sebastian.

 Tit-bits:
St. Sebastian 1480 en.wikipedia.org
 Saint Sebastian (died c. AD 288) was an early Christian saint, preacher  and martyr. The traditional belief has been that, he was killed during the Roman emperor Diocletian's persecution of Christians. He is often portrayed  in art and literature  as tied to a post or tree and shot with arrows, but this did not kill him. He was, according to his legend, rescued and healed by Saint Irene of Rome and upon his recovery he went to Diocletian to warn him about his sins. The mad emperor  was merciless and had no scruples. Unfortunately, and as a result of his warning to the ruler, he had St. Sebastian clubbed to death.  He is venerated in the Roman Catholic Church and the Orthodox Church. His mortal remains reputed to be those of Sebastian are housed in Rome in the Basilica Apostolorum, built by Pope Damasus I in 367.The church, today called San Sebastiano fuori le mura, was rebuilt in the 1610s under the patronage of Scipione Borghese. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Sebastian).

 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St_Sebastian%27s_Church,_Neyyassery