St. Mary's Orthodox Cathedral, Puthencavu

St. Mary's Orthodox Cathedral stands in the village of Puthencavu, near Chengannur in Alappuzha district, and is one of the oldest churches in Central Travancore. Local Christians, who had to travel to Chengannur or Maramon for worship, set out to build their own church, which Mar Thoma VI consecrated in 1793, dedicating it to St Mary. Tradition holds that they used the building fund to save the Metropolitan from arrest when the Travancore government penalised him, and the surplus is believed to have become the Vattipanam deposit of 1808.

Mar Thoma VI lived here from 1794 to 1808, and the room, bed and chapel of his first Qurbana are still kept. He lies buried in the church with Mar Thoma VIII and Geevarghese Mar Philoxenos, known as Puthencavil Kochu Thirumeni. Titus II Mar Thoma was consecrated here in 1896. The church also keeps the wooden horse of Mar Anthrayos, subject of many folk tales, and holds yearly feasts for him and for Mar Philoxenos.