St. Thomas Church, Thumpoly

St. Thomas Church at Thumpoly, also called Thumpolypally, is a Catholic pilgrimage church in Ambalappuzha taluk, Alappuzha district, named after St Thomas and dedicated to the Immaculate Conception. Christians settled here in the 6th century and built a small thatched church; in AD 820 the Syrian bishops Mar Sabor and Mar Proth set up the Muthappan Cross. The present stone and wood church was begun in 1600 with the consent of the King of Cochin and, after long delays, completed in 1730. It is protected by the Archaeological Department.

The church is known for the Thumpoly Matha, a statue of Mary that tradition says reached this shore between 1550 and 1600 after a ship's captain prayed to it in a storm. It is held to be the first statue of Mary venerated by local communities in India. The main altar was carved from a single piece of wood and coloured with leaf and fruit juices. The Thumpolyperunnal feast runs for nineteen days in November and December.