The English Church of Kozhikode

In the center of the Kozhikode at Nadakkavu is the church which still upholds the Anglican traditions of worship till date & so is also commonly called the English Church. This beautiful Gothic architecture known as St Mary’s church is quite unique in the way it was built & how it continues its traditions. The location of the church is equidistant from the Military Barracks & the old civil station. The relation to the distance from these two points is what makes the story unique.

The design of the church was drawn by Colonel Faber who was a celebrated engineer in the British government. There was  a disagreement with two of the most important sets of people in the government, the military & the civil servants over the site of the church. The military wanted the church built in their barracks while the civil servants wanted it to be built near their offices & residences. The disagreement was so strong that the plan was set aside & both parties decided to build smaller churches in each of their agreed places. This church plan somehow found its way to Rev Mickee years later who decided to find a place equidistant from the two parties & this was Nadakavu. He commissioned the construction of the church in 1860 & completed the work one year later. The church was built by the efforts of the British Government, the Church committee & the local community.

The church has a beautiful gothic architecture with a belfry on top & the baptismal font of the church is carved out of  a single solid block of Mahogany, so is the tie beam roof truss which is made of wood. The church is also unique in terms of how the arches give it a unique architecture, one that is not commonly seen in North Malabar. The altar of the church is a reminiscence of the old English style. The beautiful altar-piece which is a replica as seen in the famous portrait of artist Raphael – “Madonna del Granduca ''.  The interior of the church has gothic pillars lined all along its length which is a beautiful replica of how they are on the outside. The structure is a well designed one which provides a linear look towards the center of the church. 

Today the church has around 300 families associated with it and is dedicated to Blessed Virgin Mary. The church still follows the old Anglician traditions & candles are always lit during prayer services or during Eucharistic services. The Eucheristic services are still conducted in English vernacular since its inception & so the name of the church stayed as it is now. The church still offers everyone a view to its anglician history during its mass services & one can be part of it to be awed by the church’s beauty.