His Grace Mar Dionysius III Mar Thoma XI, Malankara Metropolitan | |
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Malankara Church | |
Installed | 19 October 1817 |
Term ended | 19 May 1825 |
Predecessor |
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Successor | Mar Dionysius IV |
Orders | |
Consecration | 19 October 1817 by Geevarghese Mar Philexenos II |
Personal details | |
Born | 1777 Kottayam Thazhathangady |
Died | 19 May 1825 Kottayam |
Buried | Kottayam Cheriapally (St. Mary's Orthodox Syrian Church, Kottayam) |
Mar Dionysius III, also known as Punnathra Mar Dionysius and born Kurien (1785 – 19 May 1825) was 11th Malankara Metropolitan and Successor to the Holy Apostolic Throne of St.Thomas from 1817 until his death. Dionysius had a long career in the Malankara Church prior to his consecration as Metropolitan. It was his suggestion during the time of Mar Thoma IX to establish the Syrian seminary at Kottayam, Kerala's first educational institution. He also welcomed some of the first missionary teachers who arrived from England to teach in the seminary. In 1816, following the demise of Mar Dionysius II, who had not appointed a successor, Kurien was elected to succeed him as the Malankara Metropolitan by the general assembly of the Church (Malankara Palliyogam) and was ordained as bishop by Geevarghese Mar Philexenos II of the Malabar Independent Syrian Church.