13 Facts About Baselios Yeldo

Saint Baselios Yeldo was the Maphrian of the East of the Syriac Orthodox Church from 1678 until his resignation in 1684.

Baselios Yeldo's tomb is situated in Marthoman Cheriyapally, Kothamangalam and his feast is celebrated as Kanni 20th perunnal which gather many pilgrims to the Tomb.

Baselios Yeldo was consecrated Maphrian of the East in 1678 by Mor Ignatius Abdul Messiah I, the then Syriac Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch.

The patriarch met with clergymen at the Monastery of Saint Ananias in the following year to discuss the state of the Church of Malankara and decide whom to send, and Mor Baselios Yeldo volunteered to travel to Malankara and thus resign as Maphrian.

Baselios Yeldo returned to the Monastery of Saint Matthew and made preparations for the journey to India.

Whilst travelling, the group encountered a tiger, but was repelled when Mor Baselios Yeldo made the sign of the cross in its direction, forcing it to flee.

Baselios Yeldo later arrived at the village of Pallivasal and, with the knowledge a heavy flood would afflict the village in the night, advised the villagers to sleep in the hills.

Mor Ivanios and Mor Baselios Yeldo continued on to Kozhippilli, near Kothamangalam, where Mor Ivanios agreed to hide in a tree until Mor Baselios Yeldo returned, as it was deemed unsafe to travel together.

Baselios Yeldo later reached the River Periyar and asked a local man belonging to the Nair community who was tending his cattle to show him to the local St Thomas Church, Kothamangalam.

The man stated he could not do so due to his inability to leave his cattle alone, and thus Mor Baselios Yeldo drew a circle in the dirt with his walking stick and instructed the man to direct the cattle into the circle.

The cattle consequently did not leave the circle, and the man told the saint of his sister's labour pains, to which Mor Baselios Yeldo asked for water.

Mor Baselios Yeldo blessed one of the coconuts and told the man to make his sister drink from the coconut.

At Kothamangalam, on the Feast of the Holy Cross, Mor Baselios Yeldo consecrated Mor Ivanios Hidayatullah as archbishop to help consecrate clergy and thus combat Portuguese affronts against the Church of Malankara.