Diocese of Kottar
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Kottar is a Latin Rite suffragan diocese in the ecclesiastical province of, Kottar, Kanyakumari District, southern India yet depends on the missionary Roman Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples
Its episcopal see is Cathedral of St. Francis Xavier at Kottar in the town of Nagercoil, Tamil Nadu. It was built by St. Francis Xavier in 1544 AD, rebuilt in 1603 over the small chapel original chapel, expanded in both 1713 and 1806.
Antecedents
The Kottar parish was a constituent of Malabar Vicariate since 1657 AD and came under Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Verapoly. Again it became the southern center of Diocese of Quilon at its erection in 1853 AD.Saints and causes for canonisation
- Devasahayam Pillai, a lay martyr of the Christian faith, was born and martyred here. His remains are buried in the cathedral of the diocese.
History
- Established on 26 May 1930 as Diocese of Kottar / Kottaren, on territory split off from the Diocese of Quilon.
- Due to linguistic reasons as per reorganization of States, Kottar diocese was formally detached from the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Verapoly and made suffragan of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Madurai instead in 1963.
- Lost territory on 2014.12.22 to establish the Diocese of Kuzhithurai.
Episcopal ordinaries
- ?Aloysius Benziger
- Lorenzo Pereira
- Thomas Roch Agniswami, Society of Jesus , died 1974
- Marianus Arokiasamy, next Metropolitan Archbishop of Madurai , also vice-president of Conference of Catholic Bishops of India, President of Conference of Catholic Bishops of India, died 2007
- Leon Augustine Tharmaraj
- Peter Remigius, previously Bishop of Roman [Catholic Diocese of Kumbakonam|Kumbakonam]
- Nazarene Soosai, nor previous prelature
Statistics