ST.

GEORGE ORTHADOX KOONAN KURISHU

OLD SYRIAN CHURCH-MATTANCHERY KOCHI
RENOVATION By ARCHITECT VINU DANIEL

ARCHITECTURAL APPRAISAL
CODE - 207

by:
SIDHU JOSE
(REG. NO.: 150063)

THE INDIAN INSTITUTE OF ARCHITECTS, MUMBAI

DECEMEBR 2017
 THE INDIAN INSTITUTE OF ARCHITECTS
Examination Department, Plot No.105, Sector 15
C.B.D Belapur, Navi-Mumbai 400614
Tel No.: 022-27563901, Tele Fax: 022-25761805
Email: iiaexam.navimumbai@mtnl.net.in, iia@gmail.com Web site: www.iia-india.org

Statement of Marks for External Examination of Architectural Appraisal (Part-II)

Name of the student:......................................................................................................................

Name & Designation:.....................................................................................................................
Contact No. & Address:..................................................................................................................
Project Title: ...................................................................................................................................

Architectural Appraisal Part-II Group B Subject Code: 207

Marks
Maximum awarded
Sl. No.:
Marks by Jury

i Introduction and related material for building analysis 30

ii (a) Analysis of the building 30

ii(b) Power point presentation and verbal communication 20

iii(b) Report presentation 10

iii(a) Satisfactory answer to queries by jury 10

Grand Total

Signature of External Examiner

1
Project Title Mattancherry St. George Orthodox Church-
Koonankurishu Pally

Building photograph

Building typology Religious Building

Present use of building Orthodox Church

Address/Location St. George Orthodox Church, Mattanchery, Kerala

Owner Malankara Orthox Syrian Church

The 1751 church underwent major renovation in 1974.

Completion year
Now again renovated and completed in 2016

Sustainable Architecture. Renovated using compressed

Architectural Style earth blocks (CSEB). The distinct style with catenary
vaults, arches and a dome.

Architect Vinu Daniel

Experts in construction using Mud from Idayanchavadi,

Contractors
Tamilnadu

Consultants

Cost of building

Environmental friendly construction method has been

Comment followed. Creativity flourished in designing form by
using Vaults, Arches and Domes. The selection of material
is remarkable.

2
MATTANCHERRY ST. GEORGE ORTHODOX CHURCH-KOONANKURISHU PALLY
There is no other media as truthful and pure as soil. This was the reason to decide mud as the
medium for construction of this church. The church that existed here was more than 250 years old.
Was built during 1751 and major renovation done in 1974.

The major attraction of the building is that it has been renovated using environmental friendly
methods and the form of the building is the major attracting feature. The form is characterized by
huge vaults, arches and domes built using compressed earth blocks.

ABOUT THE ARCHITECT

ARCHITECT VINU DANIEL

Vinu Daniel, the young architect who says that his meeting with Laurie Becker changed his direction
of life. Vinu says he gained the confidence that various designs are not just celebration but it can
actually be constructed. The concept of debri wall created from the debris of buildings was
developed by him, which aims at conservation and also is a low cost option.

 Bachelor Degree in Architecture from Thiruvananthapuram Engineering College.

 Mastered Earth Architecture at Auroville Earth Institute under Architect Satprem Malini .
 Founder of Kerala based Design practice, the Wallmakers.

THE PROJECT
The project taken for my Architectural Appraisal is the prestigious IIA award as well as the NDTV
DA award winning Renovation work for St. George Orthodox Church done by Architect Vinu at
Mattancherry.

Destroying all preconceived notions of mud architecture, even early Egyptian masonry techniques
dated back to 2500 B.C. to latest load bearing and disaster resistant techniques (perfected by Ar.
Satprem Malini- teacher of Ar. Vinu Daniel) were employed to make the project a reality.

3
SITE LOCATION

St George Orthodox Koonan Kurishu Old Syrian Church, popularly known as 'Koonan Kurishu
Pazhaya Suriyani Palli', is situated in Mattancherry, Kochi.

Mattancherry is a part of Ernakulam District in Kerala, India. It is a tourist destination. It is

surrounded by the backwaters of Arabian Sea. Mattancherry was the first trade hub of the present
district. Mattancherry is populated by people from various walks of life and various parts of India
and abroad. There are people who have come and settled in Mattancherry from Goa, Tamil Nadu,
Gujarat and so on.

HISTORY
Mattancherry St. George Orthodox Church- Koonankurishu Pally
The St. George Church of Mattanchery, one of the oldest churches in India has played a significant
role in the historic event that shaped the leadership of the Malankara Church, as it is today.
The St. George Orthodox Koonan Kurish Old Syrian Church at Mattancherry town of Kochi
(Cochin ) better known as the Koonan Kurishu Pally entered the annals of history following the oath
taken by St Thomas Christians of Kerala in AD 1653, protesting against the the attempt to impose
the hegemony of the Roman Church by the Portuguese .

The Indian Church (Malankara Church ) was established by Apostle St Thomas ( Mar Thoma ) in
AD 52. This indigenous Church of Malabar/Malankara followed the faith and traditions handed over
by the Apostle St. Thomas. Saint Thomas Christians were administratively under the single native
dynastic leadership of an Archdeacon a native ecclesiastical head with spiritual and temporal powers.
Portughese arrived India in AD 1498 , were surprised to find the presence of St Thomas Christians in

4
India, but Portuguese were unhappy that native Indian Christians were not under Rome . With the
help of Portuguese army and Portuguese missionaries they started luring and threatening native
Christians to bring them under Rome.They succeeded in their efforts in 1599 with the `Synod of
Diamper'. The representatives of various parishes who attended the assembly were forced by
Portuguese Authorities to accept the Papal authority.

The Koonan Kurishu Oath of AD 1653 refers to the action of thousands of native Christians
assembling before this church and taking an oath to preserve the traditions and rituals followed by
them since AD 52 and resist the attempts to impose the Roman rituals among the native Christians.
But the gathering was so large that hundreds were unable to touch the cross directly. They drew a
rope from the cross, and touching it, publicly denounced the Roman Church.The cross bent under
pressure and hence the name 'Koonan Kurisu'. The event is described as 'Koonan Kurishu Sathyam'
or the oath before the bent cross. Soon after the Coonan Cross Oath of 3 January 1653 the St.
Thomas Christians were divided into Oriental Orthodox faction and Catholic faction. The Catholic
faction joined the Portuguese, and the Orthodox faction stayed with their native MarThoma
traditions in defiance of the Portuguese.

The Koonan Kurish Sathyam of AD 1653 took place at this Church is the first attempt to resist
colonialism and western invasion in India.

RENOVATION
The 1751 church underwent major renovation in 1974.

Before Renovation
Now, it has been renovated by retaining the original structure except in places where it had deteriorated
badly.

5
The church has been rebuilt, mostly avoiding conventional materials such as cement and steel, and
using compressed, stabilized mud blocks.

Apart from the historical legacy the method adopted for the renovation of the church building assumes
importance. The renovated church is built using clay to keep faith with the ancient architecture heritage.
The use of cement and steel have been completely avoided and visitors from India and abroad are
coming to the church to see the architecture of the building.

The church is constructed entirely of compressed earth blocks (CSEB). The distinct style with catenary
vaults, arches and a dome evokes the past in a way, never seen before. The technique of construction was
developed in Egypt, today known as the Nubian Technique. There are 13 vaults and a dome to complete
the structure. Today, it stands as the second largest catenary structure in South India. The Architect was
inspired by the famous Architect Tado Anto's prominent work “Church of light” for the creation of
Matbaha of church

6
CATENARY VAULT
The construction of this vault aimed various things:
Use the window frame as a formwork at the beginning of the work, so as to save a shuttering. This
was the opportunity to find a way to build on a formwork which was narrower than the block
thickness, which means on an inadequate support.
Find ways to build a bull eye and a lunette without any formworks.

Create openings at the apex of the vault, so as to get sky lights.

7
The masons were provided training in the use of earth blocks, employing the ancient Nubian
technology of arch and vault-building without extensive shuttering.

The sacred alter is lit with sunlight that filters through the oculus and the space between the
sinusoidal walls.

8
The renovated church provides a brief glimpse into the past with its earthy shade, domes, vaults and
arches that rise up as symbols of early eastern Christianity. The Marthoma Cross (St. Thomas Cross)
crowns it and the altar is blessed by a cross formed by light beams.
The wooden mezzanine floor was retained as such.

The wooden mezzanine floor as seen from below.

Holy cross (Coonan Cross) is reinstalled during the renovation. The vault built above this stone cross is also in a
new and unique style. This is known as quadruple vault.

9
The Colored glass provided, enlighten the cross and it is a beautiful visual impact.

The rainwater has been well rooted and drained using a unique features which reminds us about the
Gargoyle in Gothic Architecture.

10
The top of the dome is accessible through small ladders for any maintenance.

OTHER BUILDING SERVICES

1. Separate house for Church priest is built in the same premises and a vegetable garden is
maintained in its side.
2. Separate Toilet block is provided for the devotees since this is pilgrimage centre too.

OBSERVATION OF WHITE PATCH ON CEILING

Some light white patches where seen in the ceiling which after my interaction with the priest I
understand that this was formed after heavy rain season two years before. But after giving the
protection coating of water based polyurethane coat no further marks were formed. What I felt about
this was that the construction of this structure was pending for about 3 years. Due to this it may have
exposed to the humid wind before finishing the work and absorption of salt may have resulted to
these white patches.

However, after completion there is no such issues were found and only the marks of previous patches
were seen now.

11
NUBIAN VAULT AND VAULTED STRUCTURES

In architecture, a Nubian vault is a type of curved surface forming a vaulted structure. The mud brick
structure was revived by Egyptian architect Hassan Fathy after re-discovering the technique in the
Nubian village of Abu al-Riche. The technology is advocated by environmentalists as
environmentally friendly and sustainable since it makes use of pure earth without the need of timber.
The technology is of Sudanese Nubian origin.

The research in Auroville, Pondichery, India with this kind of roofing aims to revive and integrate in the
21st century the techniques used in past centuries and millennia, such as those developed in ancient
Egypt or during the period of Gothic architecture in Europe.

This R&D seeks to increase the span of the roof, decrease its thickness, and create new shapes. Note that
all vaults and domes are built with compressed stabilised earth blocks which are laid in “Free spanning”
mode, meaning without formwork. This was previously called the Nubian technique, from Egypt, but
the Auroville Earth Institute where the Architect Mastered this technology developed it and found new
ways to build arches and vaults

Building a catenary vault with the Building an Egyptian Building a hemispherical

Nubian technique technique Vault with the Nubian dome on pendentives

CONCLUSION
The construction sector stands first in carbon dioxide emission levels which forms the main reason for
global warming. This understanding is the basis of Earth Architecture.
Compressed earth blocks (CSEB) requires the lowest embodied energy and can be reusable. This
doesn't require any cement plastering, painting for finishing.
The use of cement and steel was considerably reduced in the construction of this church.
Churches leads us to the way of truth and let this construction style also point towards it.

12
13