St. Mary, Queen of Peace Basilica

The Basilica of Mary, Queen of Peace, is a Syro-Malankara Catholic church in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, belonging to the Major Archeparchy of Trivandrum. It holds the distinction of being the first church of the Syro-Malankara rite to be elevated to the rank of a minor basilica by the Holy See, and the fifth basilica in Kerala overall. The Syro-Malankara Catholic Church itself was only established in 1930, when Metropolitan Geevarghese Mar Ivanios led his community into full communion with Rome, making this one of the youngest Eastern Catholic churches in existence. The basilica represents the layered Christian heritage of Kerala, where Eastern rites, colonial-era Latin influences, and indigenous traditions coexist in remarkable density.