Kerala: Christian Imagery and Churches

The history of Chrisitanity in Kerala goes back to the visit of St. Thomas in 52 AD. However much of the current imagery is reminiscent of Italian Renaissance paintings and sculptures and seem to be derived from Italian Catholicism. There are a number of direct references to Raphael's Transfiguration of Christ, and Michelangelo's Pieta. Orthodox Syrian Christian imagery is also a relatively common sight.





I just read on the web (http://www.ananthapuri.com/kerala-history.asp?page=christian) that Christianity in Kerala has been influenced by Syrian, Portuguese, Dutch, English (protestant) and American brands of the religion over the past 2000 years. The history of Christianity in Kerala therefore mirrors to some extent the development of the religion internationally, and the rise and fall of European Christian powers and their adopted ideology. To complicate this further, the local Christians have also had their share of rifts and break-aways resulting in a mind-boggling variety of Christian sects. This may explain the drastically different styles used in Church designs. Some use Gothic elements, others are a product of wildly modern sensibility. You also have classic Italian/Portuguese designs for churches built during the 1600-1700s.