Malankara Syriac Orthodox Church

Jacobite Syrian Orthodox Church
Syriac Orthodox Church Emblem
Recognition	Oriental Orthodox
Primate	Catholicos Baselios Thomas I
Headquarters	Patriarchal Center, Puthencruz, Kochi, India
Territory	India
Possessions	India, Europe, Australia, New Zealand, and North America
Language	Malayalam, English, Hindi, Syriac, Tamil
Members	1.2 Million
Website	jscnews.org

The Malankara Jacobite Syrian Orthodox Church, officially known as Jacobite Syrian Christian Church, is an Oriental Orthodox Church based in the Indian state of Kerala, and is an integral branch of the Syriac Orthodox Church. It recognizes the Syriac Orthodox Patriarch, currently Moran Mor Ignatius Aphrem II seated in the Cathedral of Saint George, Bab Tuma, Damascus, Syria, as its Supreme Head. It functions as a largely autonomous unit within the church, under the authority of the Catholicos of India, currently Baselios Thomas I. Its members are part of the Saint Thomas Christian community, which traces its origins to the evangelistic activity of Saint Thomas the Apostle in the 1st century.

It is believed that Saint Thomas Christians of Malabar were in communion with the Church of the East from 496 to 1599. They received episcopal support from Persian bishops, who traveled to Kerala in merchant ships along the spice route, while the local leader of the Saint Thomas Christians held the rank of Archdeacon; it was a hereditary office held by the Pakalomattam family. In the 16th century, the overtures of the Portuguese padroado to bring the Saint Thomas Christians into Latin Rite Catholicism led to the first of several rifts in the community due to Portuguese colonialists, and the establishment of the Catholic and the Malankara Church factions. Since then, further splits have occurred, and the Saint Thomas Christians are now divided into several fragments.

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