About
St George’s Forane Church Aruvithura, renowned for the divine intercession of St George and marked by its legacy is a spiritual haven for the devotees across the state of Kerala. The Christian community of Kerala prides itself on the faith their ancestors embraced from St Thomas, the disciple of Jesus Christ. True to his missionary zeal, St Thomas travelled far and wide across South India and on his sojourn in Aruvithura, it is believed, that he erected a wayside cross. This cross which was exposed to the vagaries of weather and natural calamities gradually fell into ruins. To commemorate and enliven the celestial memory, a 167 feet concrete cross was erected on top of the Kondoor hills, the gentle initiative for which was taken by Very Rev Fr. Thomas Olickal, the erstwhile Vicar of St George’s Forane Church.
St George, fondly venerated and addressed as Aruvithura Vallyachan is the oft frequented divine intercessor for people belonging to all castes and creeds. The shrine houses the holy statue of St George which was brought here from Nilakkal in the sixteenth century. The hillock where the cross stands is named after Aruvithura Vallyachan and thus Kondoor hills was renamed as Vallyachan Mala. Just like St Thomas and St George who kindled the faith in Jesus in many a hearts, the Cross, the divine sign of salvation, overlooking the city from atop the hill, shines like a lighthouse leading thousands to the true faith.