✦ Thankey Church · Since 1583 ✦
A Sacred Pilgrimage Centre of South India
A living sanctuary of miracles, tradition, and devotion. Home to the Miraculous Statue of the Passion of Our Lord — drawing pilgrims from across Kerala for over four centuries.
Carved in Portugal and believed to be imbued with divine grace, this statue arrived at Thankey in 1936 — carried on a catamaran across the backwaters — and has since been the source of countless miracles and an unbroken tradition of devotion.
The faithful travel from across Kerala and beyond, prostrating themselves, bearing votive offerings, and praying in the tomb chamber on First Fridays. Among the most remarkable beliefs: the statue's hair is said to grow over time, a sign of its living, miraculous nature.
Discover the Full StoryEvery Good Friday, thousands of pilgrims converge on Thankey in an extraordinary expression of faith. Barefoot, on bended knee — some rolling on the sand of the churchyard — they come to touch the statue, receive the blessed gruel, and offer their sorrows to Christ Crucified.
The night before, Maundy Thursday, the church is illuminated by hundreds of oil lamps in the tradition of Deepakazhcha — the Festival of Lights — casting a golden glow across the waters of Alappuzha.
Holy Week Schedule
From the first humble chapel built in 1583 to the parish serving 1,650 families today, Thankey has remained a place where heaven feels close.
The church's history is inseparable from the history of Christianity in Kerala itself — rooted in the Apostolic tradition of St. Thomas, shaped by the Portuguese missionaries, and sustained by the extraordinary faith of the people of Alappuzha.
Read the Full HistoryThe church is consecrated to St. Mary — and the Feast of the Purification of Our Lady, celebrated from January 27 to February 2, is the grandest event in Thankey's annual calendar. A week of novena prayers, solemn Masses, and a candlelit procession on Candlemas night.
This is not merely the parish feast — it is the spiritual heartbeat of the community, drawing families back from across Kerala and beyond, year after year, generation after generation.
The Feast in Full
Rt. Rev. Dr. Antony
Kattiparambil
Rev. Fr. Prasad Joseph
Kandathipparambil
Rev. Fr. Augustine Siby
Kidangeth
Rev. Fr. Lobo Lawrence
Chakkrasserry
Rev. Fr. Rinson Antony
Kaliyath
