| Jurisdiction: | Syro-Malabar Catholic Archeparchy |
| Trichur | |
| Country: | India |
| Metropolitan: | Thrissur |
| Territory: | Thrissur district |
| Population: | 2,018,635 |
| Catholics: | 470,056 |
| Parishes: | 215 |
| Churches: | 251 |
| Schools: | 23 |
| Members: | 460,848 |
| Denomination: | Catholic Church |
| Sui Iuris Church: | Syro-Malabar Church |
| Rite: | East Syriac rite |
| Established: | 20 May 1887 |
| Cathedral: | Our Lady of Lourdes Metropolitan Cathedral, |
| Cocathedral: | Basilica of Our Lady of Dolours |
| Patron: | Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception |
| Major Archbishop: | Raphael Thattil |
| Metro Archbishop: | Andrews Thazhath |
| Auxiliary Bishops: | Tony Neelankavil |
| Vicar General: | Msgr. Jose Vallooran, Msgr. Jose Konikkara |
| Emeritus Bishops: | Jacob Thoomkuzhy |
| Map: | Thrissur_Archdiocese_Map.svg |
| Map Size: | 280px |
| Website: | www.trichurarchdiocese.org |
| Coat Size: | 180px |
The Archeparchy of Trichur, in Thrissur District of Central Kerala, India, with nearly half a million Syro-Malabar Catholics now, used to be the largest Catholic diocese in India when it included the Syro-Malabar Catholic Diocese of Irinjalakuda until 1978 and Syro-Malabar Catholic Eparchy of Palghat until 1973. Syro-Malabar Catholic Diocese of Irinjalakuda, also located in Thrissur District, has over a quarter million Syro-Malabar Catholics now. Syro-Malabar Catholic Diocese of Palghat in Central Kerala extends to some regions in the neighbouring state of Tamil Nadu. In 2010, the parts of Tamil Nadu under the Syro-Malabar Catholic Diocese of Palghat were separated to form another Syro-Malabar Catholic Diocese of Ramanathapuram.
The Archeparchy of Trichur was founded on 20 May 1887 by Pope Leo XIII by his papal bull Quod Jam Pridem now covers an area of 2000 Sq.Km and has a Catholic population of about 460848. There are 16 Foranes under the Archeparchy of Trichur. The total number of parishes is 215. In addition, there are 36 stations in the archdiocese. Diocese of Ramanathapuram, Diocese of Irinjalakuda and Diocese of Palghat are the suffragan dioceses of the Archeparchy. Cardinal Mar Raphael Thattil is the Major Archbishop of the Syro-Malabar Catholic Church, Mar Andrews Thazhath is the Metropolitan Archbishop, Mar Tony Neelankavil is the Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese and Mar Jacob Thoomkuzhy is the Archbishop Emeritus.
The diocese was founded on 20 May 1887 by Pope Leo XIII by his papal bull Quod iam pridem. The boundaries of diocese were from Periyar (river) in Aluva to Bharathappuzha. Later it was extended to Palakkad district and extended to Coimbatore District in Tamil Nadu and was the largest Catholic diocese in India.
Rev. Medlycott has given a description about the state of facilities for education in the vicariate on his arrival in 1887 and on his return in 1896 as below:
The total number of parishes is 215. In addition, there are 36 stations in the archdiocese. The population of Syro-Malabar Catholics in Thrissur Archdiocese is about 4,60,848. There are 16 foranes under Thrissur Archdiocese. They are:
| Serial No. | Forane | Parishes | Stations | Houses | Catholic Population | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lourdes Cathedral | 17 | 1 | 11746 | 59539 | |
| 2 | Dolours' Basilica | 16 | 0 | 10095 | 54777 | |
| 3 | Chelakara | 11 | 1 | 1615 | 8080 | |
| 4 | Erumapetty | 11 | 1 | 2452 | 12285 | |
| 5 | Kandassankadavu | 13 | 6 | 6933 | 39781 | |
| 6 | Kottekad | 8 | 2 | 4994 | 26134 | |
| 7 | Mattom | 8 | 5 | 3761 | 18471 | |
| 8 | Ollur | 14 | 5 | 13372 | 63211 | |
| 9 | Palayur | 14 | 2 | 5873 | 29696 | |
| 10 | Parappur | 10 | 5 | 3783 | 17685 | |
| 11 | Pattikad | 12 | 0 | 2609 | 13735 | |
| 12 | Pazhuvil | 12 | 4 | 4425 | 24892 | |
| 13 | Pudukad | 18 | 4 | 11038 | 61064 | |
| 14 | Puthur | 10 | 0 | 3232 | 16040 | |
| 15 | Velur | 13 | 2 | 3775 | 18528 | |
| 16 | Wadakkanchery | 13 | 1 | 5174 | 26872 |
Vicar Apostolic, Bishops and Archbishops
| Sl.No | Ordinary | Designation | Year of appointment | Last year of service | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mar Adolph Medlycott | Vicar Apostolic | 1887 | 1896 | |
| 2 | Mar John Menachery | Vicar Apostolic | 1896 | 1919 | |
| 3 | Bishop | 1919 | 1944 | ||
| 4 | Bishop | 1944 | 1970 | ||
| 5 | Archbishop | 1970 | 1997 | ||
| 6 | Archbishop | 1997 | 2007 | ||
| 7 | Archbishop | 2007 | present |
| Sl.No | Ordinary | Designation | Year of appointment | Last year of service | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mar Andrews Thazhath | Auxiliary Bishop | 2004 | 2007 | |
| 2 | Mar Raphael Thattil | Auxiliary Bishop | 2010 | 2017 | |
| 3 | Mar Tony Neelankavil | Auxiliary Bishop | 2017 | present |
| Sl.No | Ordinary | Designation | Year of appointment | Last year of service | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mar Joseph Irimpen | Former Bishop - Palghat | 1974 | 1994 | |
| 2 | Mar James Pazhayattil | Former Bishop - Irinjalakuda | 1978 | 2010 | |
| 3 | Mar Paul Chittilapilly | Former Bishop - Thamarassery | 1988 | 2010 | |
| 4 | Mar Raphael Cheenath | Former Archbishop - Cuttack–Bhubaneswar | 1974 | 2011 | |
| 5 | Mar Clemens Thottungal C.M.I | Former Bishop - Sagar | 1977 | 1987 | |
| 6 | Mar Joseph Pastor C.M.I | Former Bishop - Sagar | 1987 | 2006 | |
| 7 | Mar Antony Chirayath | Former Bishop - Sagar | 2006 | 2018 | |
| 8 | Mar Bosco Puthur |
| 2010 | present | |
| 9 | Mar Paul Alappatt | Bishop - Ramanathapuram | 2010 | present | |
| 10 | Mar Raphael Thattil | Major Archbishop of the Syro-Malabar Church | 2010 | present | |
| 11 | Mar Joseph Thykkattil | Bishop – Gwalior | 2019 | present | |
| 12 | Mar Franco Mulakkal | Former Bishop – Jalandhar | 2013 | 2023 | |
| 13 | Mar Antony Prince Panengaden | Bishop – Shamshabad | 2015 | present | |
| 14 | Mar Vincent Nellaiparambil | Bishop – Bijnor | 2019 | present | |
| 15 | Mar Thomas Anthony Vazhapilly | Former Bishop – Mysore | 2003 | 2017 |