Mor Sabor and Mor Aphroth
Mor Sabor and Mor Aphroth are believed to be two saintly men who came to Malankara to preach the Gospel. They came along with a group of Syrian Christian immigrants lead by a merchant named Sapor Esho. They are said to have disembarked at Quilon (Kollam) in c. 822. They were preachers of the Gospel and it is believed that both were bishops. They established churches in Quilon, Kayankulam, Udayamperoor and Akaparambu. The church at Akaparambu is believed to have been established in A.D. 825. It is said that they were granted the land to build a church after a successful theological debate with the local religious leaders. The church was named after the martyr saints of the early church, Mor Sabor and Mor Aphroth, after whom the two were named. The church they established in Kayankulam was also named after these two saints. Both churches were popularly known as the `Church of the Qadishangal' (Qadishangal being a corruption of the Syriac word for the Holy Ones, Qadishe).
Mor Sabor is believed to have been based at Quilon and Mor Aphroth at Udayamperoor. Some accounts suggest that Mor Aphroth was based at Kodungalloor. Mor Aphroth is believed to have been instrumental in the conversion of the royal family of Udayamperoor to Christianity. It is believed that the Villarvattom royal family--perhaps the only Christian royal family in Kerala was an offshoot of this conversion.
The records of the Thareesa church at Quilon indicate that the church was established by Sapor Esho. Historians suggest that the records refer to Sapor Esho, the merchant leader of the immigrant group, or Mor Sabor or perhaps both.
In A.D. 1593, the Portugese Archbishop Menezes of Goa called a synod at Udayamperoor (Diamper) with the intention of forcing the Syrian Christians of Malankara under the Roman yoke. In his zeal to eliminate any trace of the Syrian traditions among the Malankara Christians, the Archbishop summoned the liturgical books and other records and burned them. An ancient Syriac Bible preserved at a church in Malankara fortunately survived and is preserved today in the British Museum. Some accounts of its history suggest that this Bible was brought to Malankara by Mor Sabor and Mor Aphroth. The Udayamperoor Synod in the mistaken belief that Mor Sabor and Mor Aphroth were Nestorians removed their names from the list of the holy ones and changed the churches named after them to the `Church of All Saints.' (19th canon of the Synod). Although the Akaparambu church was represented at the Udayamperoor Synod, the church did not acknowledge the decisions of the Synod and retained its name.
This page is maintained By: Thomas Daniel (Reji)
