1855–1872

Twenty-four arches, and no iron in them

It took seventeen years. The work was driven by Fr Joseph Grégoire, whom his chronicler calls the apostle of Vadakenkoulam, and the building was engineered by a Jesuit lay-brother named Joseph Bergenthal, whose office the Society's Roman register for 1872 gives in two words: Ædif. eccl., builder of the church. Between them they turned twenty-four arches that carry their own weight, in lime and palm-toddy mortar, without cement, without iron, and without one wooden beam holding anything up. Halfway through, in 1861, the bishop came again, and three thousand Christians were waiting for him on the road.

DocumentedThis moment rests on 6 sources.
Parish history (English)
twenty-four self-supporting arches, turned in lime and palm-toddy mortar, without cement, iron, or a single wooden beam

What this source establishes

The 24 arches, the 12 over the altar, and the chunam-and-toddy mortar. All of it is the parish's own account of its own building — published because it is the parish's account, not because anyone outside has checked it.

This is as much of the book as this site prints. It is named in full in the bibliography below.

The English history of the Holy Family ChurchParish copy; title, author and year still being confirmed

The parish's own record, printed here by the parish.