KOCHI: With only hours left for the beatification of Kerala’s first nun, Venerable Mother Eliswa who established the first indigenous religious congregation for women (TOCD), all eyes are on Koonammavu on the outskirts of Kochi where she lived for 43 years. However, apart from its association with this saintly woman, who also established the first convent school and boarding school for girls in Kerala in 1868, not many are aware that Koonammavu is the only place in India to be closely associated with eight saintly souls.

A rich spiritual patrimony

When European missionaries were active in evangelisation in Varappuzha and its suburbs in the 17th century, Koonammavu became a hub of Roman Catholicism. With the nearby island of Arappuzha being the epicentre of the missionary activities of European Carmelite friars, Koonammavu too inherited their spiritual patrimony. Here, a church dedicated to St Philomena, a 3rd century martyr, was built in 1837 and today this parish under the Archdiocese of Verapoly counts 1,560 families.

The land loved by St Chavara Kuriakose

Koonammavu first shot into fame as the resting place of St Chavara Elias Kuriakose (1805-1871), the second Keralite to be canonised after St Alphonsa. This holy priest was the first prior of the TOCD friars, the first indigenous religious congregation for men that later became the Carmelites of Mary Immaculate (CMI). Records state that St Chavara spent the last seven years of his life in the monastery attached to the old St Philomena’s Church, and he was interred in front of the altar after his demise on January 3, 1871.