Oriental Orthodox churches in India

Presently there are 4 churches in India that are part of Oriental Orthodox Churches. All of them are in full communion with each other, They are:

• Syriac Orthodox Church of Antioch, it has one autonomous church under the jurisdiction of the Maphrainate(Catholicos of India) based in Puthencruz, Kerala and one mission archdiocese and a mission diocese and an ethinic archdiocese under patriarchal jurisdiction in India, all of which is an integral part of the Syriac Orthodox Church of Antioch under the Patriarch of Antioch and all the East.
  • Malankara Jacobite Syriac Orthodox church, headquartered in Puthencruz coming directly under the Catholicos of India consisting of several dioceses.
  • EAE Archdiocese, headquarters in Perumbavoor.
  • St. Antony's Mission, Honovar - Syriac Orthodox mission diocese in Karnataka.
  • Knanaya Syriac Orthodox archdiocese, headquartered in Chingavanam and is directly under the patriarchate and not under the catholicos of India as per the Syriac orthodox church constitution. The archdiocese consists of the ethnic Knanaya community.
• Armenian Apostolic Church, an Oriental Orthodox Church under the Catholicos of All Armenians, it has some churches in indian cities like Kolkata, Mumbai etc. It mainly caters to the Armenian diaspora
• Coptic Orthodox Church, an Oriental Orthodox Church under the Patriarch of Alexandria and all Africa, it has one church in Jalandhar, Punjab.

A prominent Syriac orthodox church under Catholicose of India in Kothamangalam India

Other then the above mentioned Oriental Orthodox churches that recognize full communion with each other and are under distinct patriarchates, there are other churches in India mainly in the Indian state of Kerala that follow the Oriental Orthodox tradition and are not in communion with each other or with the above churches, some of these churches broke away from the Syriac Orthodox church of Antioch these include:

• Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church

The Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church, also known as the Indian Orthodox Church, is an ancient, autocephalous Oriental Orthodox body that traces its apostolic foundations to AD 52 and the mission of St. Thomas the Apostle in India. Headquartered in Devalokam, Kottayam, the church is led by the Catholicos of the East and follows the West Syriac Rite, maintaining a miaphysite Christology in communion with other Oriental Orthodox sees like the Coptic and Armenian churches.

• Malabar Independent Syrian church

The Malabar Independent Syrian Church, also known as the Thozhiyur Church, is an independent Oriental Orthodox church headquartered in Thozhiyur, Kerala. It separated from the main body of the Malankara Church in 1772 following a jurisdictional dispute, eventually gaining recognition as an autonomous and independent entity. While it remains relatively small in size, the church maintains the West Syriac Rite and shares the same liturgical and theological traditions as the Malankara Church.

See also

• Oriental Orthodox Churches
• Church of India (disambiguation)
• Jacobite Syrian Christian Church
• Malankara Knanaya Syrian Archdiocese