Brahmavar (Goan) Orthodox Church

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Background Saint Thomas Christians (Nasrani) Saint Thomas Christian churches Saint Thomas Christian cross Synod of Diamper Coonan Cross Oath Malankara (historical)
People Saint Thomas the Apostle Saint Alphonsa Saint Francis Xavier Saint Gonsalo Garcia Saint Euphrasia Eluvathingal Saint Kuriakose Elias Chavara Saint Mother Teresa Bl.Devasahayam Pillai Mar Sabor and Mar Proth Mar Baselios Eldho Paremmakkal Thoma Kathanar Thomas of Cana Ignatius Elias III Mar Gregorios of Parumala Mar Varghese Payyappilly Palakkappilly Mar Joseph C. Panjikaran Mathews Mar Athanasius Metropolitan Mar Geevarghese Dionysius Abraham Malpan Palackal Thoma Malpan Mar Augustine Kandathil William Carey
Denominations Catholic Catholic Church in India, Syro-Malabar Catholic, Syro-Malankara Catholic Oriental Orthodox Brahmavar Orthodox Church, Malankara Jacobite Syrian Orthodox Church, Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church Church of the East Chaldean Syrian, Malankara Church Reformed Oriental Orthodox Mar Thoma Syrian, Malabar Independent Syrian Church Protestant Andhra Evangelical Lutheran, Assemblies Jehovah Shammah, Christian Revival Church, Church of North India, Church of South India, Garo Baptist, Indian Brethren, Indian Pentecostal Church of God, Church of God (Full Gospel), North Bank Baptist Christian, Northern Evangelical Lutheran, Presbyterian, The Pentecostal Mission, St. Thomas Evangelical, Seventh-day Adventist, United Evangelical Lutheran
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Brahmavar (Goan) Orthodox Church is a split faction from the Catholic Church formed under the leadership of Bishop Antonio Francisco Xavier Alvares in 1889. It is part of the Indian (Malankara) Orthodox Church (also known as Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church or the Indian Orthodox Church).

The territory of Goa was then Portuguese colony. Antonio Alvarez who was a Roman Catholic priest at the time, opposed the Vatican policies and interference of the Government in Church administration. His pro-Independence periodicals which were also critical of the Roman Catholic Church were banned. He was excommunicated, stripped naked and paraded through the streets.^[1] He left the Church with some hundreds of Goan Catholic families and joined the Malankara Orthodox Church, and the Brahmavar community^[2] has come into existence since then as a part of the Indian Orthodox Church.^[3]

Antonio Francisco Xavier Alvares was ordained as the first Orthodox Metropolitan of Goa-Ceylon in 1889 AD by Paulose Mar Athanasious and Gheevarghese Mar Gregorios of Parumala at Orthodox Pazhaya Seminary.

Presently there are about 700 families in Goa in this diocese^[4] of Indian Orthodox Church;

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