Edappally St George Church: History, the May Feast and Visiting Tips

St George's Forane Church in Edappally, known locally as Edappally Pally, is traditionally dated to 594 AD, and its newest building, consecrated on 19 April 2015, is an octagonal church 141 feet high that holds about 10,000 people. The parish feast falls on 3 and 4 May every year, with the flag going up on 25 April and the celebrations running to 15 May. If you want the crowds and the procession, go then; if you want to see the old church in peace, go any other time.

• How old is Edappally church?
• What is the new church like?
• When is the Edappally feast?
• Why do people offer chickens at Edappally church?
• Tips for visiting Edappally Pally

How old is Edappally church?

Kerala Tourism dates the first, small church to 594 AD, and the parish marked its 1400th anniversary on 18 January 1994, with Mother Teresa as chief guest. The site now holds three generations of church building:

Building	Date	What it is now
Original church	594 AD	The small first church, originally dedicated to the Virgin Mary and later to St George
Second church	1080 AD	Built beside the first for a growing congregation; now serves as a museum
New church	Foundation stone 1 January 2001; consecrated 19 April 2015	The main church, octagonal, 141 feet high

Kerala Tourism calls it "one of the oldest Roman Catholic Churches in the State", and notes a painting of Heaven on the wall behind the altar and a statue of St George on horseback, spearing a dragon.

What is the new church like?

The foundation stone of the new church was blessed by Pope John Paul II. The finished building covers about 88,000 square feet, its main chapel seats around 5,000, and the whole church holds about 10,000. Its teak altar is covered in gold foil imported from Italy, and it has two bell towers. It is big and polished in a way the 1080 church is not. The scale impresses, but in our view the older church is the more moving of the two, so do not skip it.

When is the Edappally feast?

Edappally Perunnal draws tens of thousands of people. The dates below are from the parish's own published schedule and repeat every year:

• 25 April: flag hoisting, after 40 hours of adoration and nine days of novena
• 1 May: the procession of St George's statue
• 3 and 4 May: the main feast
• 10 and 11 May: the octave
• 15 May: the festivities close

The procession is the part to see. The statue, decorated with gold ornaments given by devotees, rides on a carved wooden carriage set on a teak chariot that is drawn manually, with bands, fireworks, and betel leaves and puffed rice thrown towards it as it passes.

Why do people offer chickens at Edappally church?

St George is the saint believed to protect people from snakes, a belief linked to images of him slaying a serpent. On feast days the main offering is fowl. The birds are auctioned at the church, and many buyers cook them at houses nearby. Other offerings include eggs, gold and silver ornaments, small figurines of people and body parts in gold, silver or bronze, and symbols of snakes and other reptiles. According to Wikipedia's entry on the church, devotees also believe the water from the well in the courtyard has curative powers. The feast draws people of every faith, not only Catholics.

Tips for visiting Edappally Pally

Outside feast season this is an easy stop: the church is in Edappally, about 10 km from Kochi city, and Edappally is on the Kochi Metro line, which beats sitting in road traffic around one of the city's busiest junctions. During the feast weeks, assume the roads around the church will be packed and leave the car at home. Dress as you would for any working place of worship.

If you are building a day around the area, our Edappally neighbourhood guide covers what else is nearby. For the other side of Kochi's Christian history, the colonial-era churches in Fort Kochi are covered in our guides to Santa Cruz Basilica and St Francis Church.