St. Thomas Church – Peykkulam

Contact Details:

Saint Thomas Church
Peykulum (Thommaiyarpuram)
Thommaiyarpuram (Peykulum), Thoothukudi District, Tamil Nadu.
Parish Priest – Rev. Fr. Remigius S. Leon.
Church Established – Before 1682.

Brief History:

Saint Thomas Church, Thommaiyarpuram (Peykulum), is one of the oldest Catholic churches in the Sathankulam Deanery, with its origins dating to before 1682. The Christian history of the region is closely associated with the neighbouring settlements of Somanathaperi and Peykulum, where early Catholic converts established a community in the northwestern part of Peykulum. Before Sathankulam became an independent parish in 1861, Portuguese traders engaged in the dried fish trade built this church and dedicated it to Saint Thomas the Apostle, locally revered as Malaiyappar. Historical records indicate that around thirty fishing families formed the first congregation, making it one of the earliest Catholic centres in the area. In recent years, the church has undergone several improvements, including the construction of a Saint Thomas Chapel in 2004, a reinforced concrete pavilion in 2015 replacing the earlier tiled structure, and granite flooring installed in 2023. The annual parish feast is celebrated over ten days, beginning on the last Friday of June, attracting devotees from surrounding villages.

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