Stop demolition, Church told

KOCHI: The conservator of the Archeology Department will visit the St Sebastian Church, Thoppumpady, a protected monument, which was partially demolished by the church authorities on Wednesday night. A portion of the church that includes the altar was demolished on Wednesday. “The Archeology Department has officially asked the church authorities to stop the demolition. We have also asked the District Collector, Ernakulam, to look into the matter,” said J Rejikumar, director in-charge, Archaeology Department He said that the church authorities were given conditional permission to modify the church. “The main condition is  that there should not be any change in the structure of the building. The conservator will look into this aspect and will file a report. Further action will be taken  on the basis of the report,” Reji Kumar said. Built in 1833 in the Portuguese style, the church is flanked by St Sebastian’s School and a burial ground by the Kochi backwaters. The architectural design and wood carving inside the church are unique.In 2000, there was a move to demolish the church and construct a new one in its place on the pretext that the existing church could not accommodate all the parishioners during sacramental rites.The foundation stone for a new church was laid in 2001. But a section of parishioners,   lodged a complaint with the departments of cultural affairs and archeology.The Department of Culture in October 2007 issued a gazette notification announcing the church as a protected monument.