The Holy Apostolic and Catholic Assyrian Church of the East is a Christian church that traces its origins to the See of Babylon, said to be founded by Saint Thomas the Apostle. In India, it is known as the Chaldean Syrian Church. In the West it is often known, inaccurately, as the Nestorian Church. The Assyrian Church is the original Christian church in what was once Parthia; today Iraq and western Iran.
This Church traces its origin back to the Church established by St. Thomas, the Apostle in 52 A.D., like several other Syrian Churches. There are eight denominations, which claim to be descendants of the first Christian community.
Established in the south west coast of India by St.Thomas. It was one Christian community receiving bishops from Persia, from the Patriarchate of the Church of the East with its headquarters in Seleucia Ctesiphon, Baghdad, etc.
In 1796 AD. the Shakthan Thampuran, the famous Maharaja of erstwhile Cochin State (now part of Kerala) brought 52 Christian families to Thrissur with a view to develop Trichur as a center of trade and commerce. The Mart Mariam Big Church was constructed in 1814 AD for the worship of those Christian families.
This Church is under the Catholicos Patriarch of the Assyrian Church of the East. The present Catholicos Patriarch H.H. Mar Dinkha IV is residing in Chicago, U.S.A. His Holiness Mar Dinkha IV was born in Northern Iraq on 15 September 1935. He became bishop in Teheran, Iran on 11 February 1962. He was consecrated Catholicos Patriarch on 17 October 1976.
There are four archbishops (Lebanon, India, Iraq and Australia), and seven bishops under the Catholicos Patriarch.
This Church now uses the Gregorian calendar. Patriarch and Pope John Paul II signed a Common Christological Declaration on 11 November 1994 in Vatican.
The Church in India has 30 parishes, out of which five are outside Kerala such as Coimbatore, Chennai, Mumbai, Bangalore and Delhi and one in a rented chapel in Sharjah, UAE.
The head of the Church is Dr. Mar Aprem Metropolitan residing in Trichur. This Church has taken membership in National Council of Churches in India, Kerala Council of Churches, Church’s Auxiliary for Social Action, Delhi, Christian Medical College, Vellore etc.
The Church that had a temporary split during (1964-1995) is a united Church now. According to the constitution approved by the Patriarch and the Holy Synod in 1997, a Board of nine Central Trustees is elected for every 3 years.
Chaldean Syrian Church Of The East, Bangalore
The Holy Apostolic and Catholic Assyrian Church of the East is a Christian church that traces its origins to the See of Babylon, said to be founded by Saint Thomas the Apostle. In India, it is known as the Chaldean Syrian Church. In the West it is often known, inaccurately, as the Nestorian Church. The Assyrian Church is the original Christian church in what was once Parthia; today Iraq and western Iran.
