Servant of God Fr Adeodatus Memorial Carmelite Museum
Fr Adeodatus Memorial Carmelite Museum at the Carmel Hill Monastery Church Vazhuthacaud is the only dedicated Catholic Museum within the city of Thiruvananthapuram. Named after the zealous Belgian missionary, Servant of God Fr. Adeodatus of St. Peter OCD, the museum is a peek into the Carmelite mission of evangelisation in South Kerala since the beginning of the 17th century.
Housed within the underground cellar of the Carmel Hill Monastery, the first Theology college and Novitiate House of the Order of Discalced Carmelites (OCD) in India, the architectural prowess of the museum is attuned to the Roman, Gothic and Kerala styles of architecture used in the construction of the Monastery.
The museum contains the multilingual writings, letters, photos and holy articles of the Servants of God, Fr Adeodatus OCD (1896 – 1968), who spent around 40 years in the Carmelite Malabar Mission and Bishop Aloysius Maria Benziger OCD (1864 – 1942), the seventh Bishop of the undivided Diocese of Quilon.
The museum has an array of liturgical articles, church articles and holy vestments carefully collected from the 100 years of the Carmelite Mission in South Kerala, and especially from the Carmel Hill Monastery, including a wide collection of holy vestments and liturgical items used before the Vatican II Council.
The Chapel of Relics, containing the holy relics of over 40 Catholic saints is adjacent to the Museum and offers a serene abode for contemplative prayer and reflection.
With the diverse collection of candlesticks, holy crosses, paintings, liturgical and Mass objects, the museum is a must visit place for the faithful and the enthusiasts of the traditions of the Pre-Vatican II Latin Catholic Church, and of the social and cultural life of the Christian community in Kerala, nurtured by the foreign missionaries of the Order of Discalced Carmelites.