It started with the whisper of an Ancient One… It is believed that Chacko Yohannan with his son Perumal Tharakan constructed the chapel in 1792. Now, more than 200 years after it was first built, the chapel is still maintained by the family, though open to members of the public on Sundays and festive occasions.
The Elanjikal Chapel is modest in scale with white washed walls that are almost luminous against a clear blue sky. The air inside is filled with the insubstantial weight of reverence over two centuries. The legend of how this chapel came to be begins in the year 1790. Its patron saint Mar Gregorious Abdul Jaleel, referred to reverentially as ‘Valliaoppan’, is also the patron saint of the Elanjikal family.
By 1910 the Elanjikal Chapel had reached an advanced stage of disrepair. At this stage, E.J. John took on the task of renovating the chapel and it was completed in 1914. E.J. John often fondly referred to the chapel as “my church”.
