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The Jacobite Syrian Christian Church, is the Malankara Archdiocese of the Syrian Orthodox Church in Kerala, India. It is part of the Syriac Orthodox Church, with the Patriarch of Antioch, Ignatius Zakka I Iwas, as its supreme head. The local head of the Jacobite Syrian Christian Church in Malankara is the Catholicos, Baselios Thomas I, ordained by and accountable to the Patriarch of Antioch. Some estimate that the church has about 800,000 members globally.

The Church has dioceses in most parts of India as well as in the USA, Canada, United Kingdom, Western Europe, and the Persian Gulf nations.
Malankara is one of the churches that are part of Saint Thomas Christians, tracing their origins to St. Thomas the Apostle who, according to tradition, came to India in AD 52.


Although the church is officially named, Jacobite Syrian Christian Church it is commonly called the Malankara Jacobite Syrian Orthodox Church. Other names that are in common use are Syrian Orthodox Church in India,Malankara Syrian Orthodox Church, Malankara Syriac Orthodox Church, Malankara Jacobite Church, Syriac Orthodox Church in India, and Malankara Jacobite Church. The Church is sometimes referred as Patriarchal faction or Bava faction, because of the disputes with the Methran Faction.
In 2000, a Holy Synod ruled that the name of the church in English should be the "'Syriac Orthodox Church". It had been, and often still is today, called the "Syrian Orthodox Church". The church in India uses the term "Jacobite" or 'Bava Faction' as a way to distinguish themselves from the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church or Methran Faction. In Kerala, the church members follow a complicated social modality intermingling traditions of Syrian, Catholic and Hindu traditions. Many of the customs and traditions of this group are borrowed from traditional practices of upper caste Hindus including specific rituals involving marriage, death and caste-related observations in relation to other Christians and lower-caste Hindus.
Jewish-Syriac liturgical time is used to mark the observations of fasting and prayer and the preparation for the Eucharist. However, the Malayalam Calendar is used to make the more recent religious events such establishment dates of churches, houses and gravestones. This practice is increasingly superseded by the standard Western Gregorian calendar. The Malayalam numbering of calendar years is 825 years less than the standard.

The church has 26 Indian bishops & Catholicos: Prelates Diocese and Roles

Aboon Baselios Thomas I	Catholicos of India and the Metropolitan Trustee of the Church in India and the Metropolitan of Angamali Dioceses
Abraham Mor Severious	ANGAMALI REGION OF ANGAMALI DIOCESE & ABBOT OF MOR GABRIEL DAYRO
Yuhanon Mor Philaxinos	MALABAR & SIMHASANA CHURCHES IN MALABAR REGION
Thomas Mor Timotheos	KOTTAYAM & OUT SIDE KERALA DIOCESE
Joseph Mor Gregorios	KOCHI & PERUMBAVOOR REGION OF ANGAMALI DIOCESE*
Kuriakose Mor Severios Edavazhikal	KNANAYA ARCH DIOCESE
Kuriakose Mor Gregorios	KALLISSERI REGION OF KNANAYA ARCH DIOCESE
Kuriakose Mor Ivanios	AUXILIARY BISHOP OF KNANAYA ARCH DIOCESE
Ayoub Mor Silvanos	AUXILIARY BISHOP OF KNANAYA ARCH DIOCESE
Yeldho Mor Theethose	MALANKARA ARCHDIOCESE OF NORTH AMERICA
Geevarghese Mor Coorilose	NIRANAM DIOCESE
Mathews Mor Ivanios	KANDANAD DIOCESE & PRESIDENT OF YOUTH ASSOCIATION
Mathews Mor Aphrem	HIGHRANGE REGION OF ANGAMALI DIOCESE
Kuriakose Mor Julios	SIMHASANA CHURCHES
Geevarghese Mor Dionasios	AUXILIARY BISHOP SIMHASANA CHURCHES & ABBOT OF MOR IGNATIOS DAYARO, MANJANIKKARA
Yuhanon Mor Militos	THUMBAMON & PRESIDENT OF MJSSA
Mathews Mor Thevodosios	KOLLAM
Kuriakose Mor Theophilos	MSOT SEMINARY, UAE & EUROPE
Kuriakose Mor Eusabios	THRISSUR
Pathros Mor Osthathios	NEW DELHI REGION OF OUT SIDE KERALA DIOCESE
Kuriakose Mor Clemis	IDUKKI
Paulose Mor Irenios	KOZHIKOD
Geevarghese Mor Polycarpus	EVANGELICAL ASSOCIATION OF THE EAST & HONAVAR MISSION
Markose Mor Chrisostamos	Assistant EVANGELICAL ASSOCIATION OF THE EAST & HONAVAR MISSION
Geevarghese Mor Athanasios	PATRIARCHAL SECRETARY FOR INDIA & GULF REGION
Kuriakose Mor Diaskoros	ABBOT OF MALEKURIZ DAYRO
Elias Mor Athanasios	ASSISTANT TO THE CATHOLICOS & METROPOLITAN OF ANTIOCHEAN MOVEMENT

The North American, Europe Archdiocese, Knanaya Archdiocese, Simhasana, Evangelical Association are under the jurisdiction of the Patriarch. Of these, the last two had been formed as autonomous bodies in the early 20th century, to escape from the onslaught of civil court cases arisen from disputes with the rival Orthodox Church of India(Malankara Orthodox Church).

The Knanaya diocese (today an archdiocese) was formed in 1910. Its jurisdiction extends to all Knanaya Jacobite people throughout the world. The diocese was formed in recognition of the endogamous character of the Knanaya people. It was also intended to recognize the leadership and sacrifice of the Knanaya people in establishing and maintaining since 345 A.D. the (Antiochan) orthodox faith in Malankara. The Knanaya Archbishop is a member of the Synod of the Universal Syriac Orthodox Church, but is part of the Jacobite Syrian Christian Church.

Dioceses of the Jacobite Syrian Christian Church

• Malabar
• Kozhikode
• Thrissur
• Angamali
• Koch
• Kandanad
• Kottayam
• Idukki
• Knanaya Archdiocese
• Niranam
• Thumpamon
• Kollam
• Outside Kerala Diocese
• Middle East
• Malankara Archdiocese of Europe
• Australia & New Zealand
• Simhasana Churches
• EAE Churches
• Malankara Archdiocese of North America

Major Institutions

• Malankara Jacobite Syrian Youth Association
• Malankara Jacobite Syrian Vanitha Samajam
• Malankara Jacobite Syrian Sunday School Association
• Malankara Syrian Orthodox Theological Seminary