The CSI Mateer Memorial Church
If you are a fellow Palayam lover, I bet you’ve stood in front of the CSI Mateer Memorial Church at least once and admired its old-world charm. I wish I knew enough about buildings and architecture to pinpoint what exactly made it so beautiful.
Honestly, I pinged many of my architecture friends and asked them to describe its beauty. Many said it has a colonial Gothic revival style. That’s too technical for me.
So, here’s my personal take on its beauty: The brown brick walls that look like freshly baked crumb cookies… The red terracotta roofs reminiscent of Tuscan architecture… The bell tower with its cute green-shutter windows and the Celtic cross on top, made of cut stone.
The slanted trees, thriving on both sides of the church. And the sheer fact that such an adorable, quiet church exists just next to one of the busiest streets in Trivandrum.
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Though I had ogled this beauty from afar many times, it was only on my way back from the Natural History Museum in Palayam to the PMG Junction, on September 23rd, 2025, that I finally had the time and courage to explore it in detail.
Since it was a weekday (Tuesday, after 5 PM), I didn’t expect the church to be open. So, when I walked into its premises, I was pleasantly surprised to see a congregation of sorts.
The church was closed, but a group of ladies, mostly middle-aged women in sarees and a few young women in salwars, were huddled on plastic chairs on one side, discussing something. It seemed like a committee meeting.
A few of the ladies were kind enough to walk up to me and talk to me. When I asked them if I could see the interiors, they apologized and informed me that the church would be open only on Wednesday and Thursday evenings for mass at 4 PM.
I read that it’s a Protestant Church, more than a century old. It was built way back in 1906 and named after an Irish missionary, Rev. Samuel Mateer.
Its interior architecture follows a Hallenkirche (hall church) style, and its roof has Gothic arches. Like Apostle Thomas in the Holy Bible, I’m a ‘seeing is believing’ kind of person, so I will await the day I attend a mass inside this church to vouch for its interior details.
Nonetheless, what a charming little church!
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The Mascot Hotel
Leaving the church behind reluctantly, I walked forward and came across the massive Mascot Hotel. It’s a five-star business heritage hotel run by KTDC(Kerala Tourism Development Corporation).
I remembered the morning of my Kathirmudi Trek. When my friends and I were scrambling to find a parking spot, we considered parking the car at the Mascot Hotel and taking an auto back to the railway station. Luckily, we were able to find a spot close to the station itself.
I chit-chatted with the security chetan at the entrance of the Mascot Hotel. He was friendly. However, fearing for his job, he politely refused my request to click a few pictures of the hotel.
He clarified that only those staying at the hotel or dining at its restaurant could enter its premises. I did contemplate visiting the restaurant, but he warned me that it was super expensive. Some other day, in a few years maybe, I manifested.
PMG Junction
I resumed my walk to the PMG Junction. On the way, I stared at the Subash Chandra Bose statue for a while. The first thought that popped into my mind was – His death is one of the unresolved mysteries in Indian history. Random? I know.
When I reached the PMG Junction, I saw the Priyadarshini Planetarium on the left. Since it was already past 5 pm, I couldn’t visit it then.
The office of the Chief Postmaster General was also nearby. I was distracted by the yummy smell of bakery items wafting from a nearby shop.
Only by 6 PM, I realised I was standing on the wrong side of the street. A lady standing next to me reconfirmed my suspicion. So I crossed to the other side of the road and caught the next bus to Kazhakoottum.
9-5 People
The office goers entering and exiting my bus caught my attention. Though I aspire to be a globetrotter and my own boss, I only have respect for people who work 9-to-5 jobs to support their families. Seeing their hard work, I vowed internally to write every day and to work more passionately for my dreams.
One of the main reasons I can afford to pay for my travels and survive on freelance projects is that my family is not financially dependent on me. It’s also because of the 9-5 jobs my family members and I pulled, at least at some point in our careers.
Breaking my reverie, a lady with a toddler in her arms entered my bus and occupied the vacant seat next to me. The child had a small wound on his chin that was bandaged. Probably from a fall, I presumed. He looked so adorable with his long eyelashes and cute, curly hair. He could easily crack a baby model interview.
I couldn’t help but judge the universe for this coincidence. “Of course! Just when a woman finally gives up on dating and focuses on her career and dreams, the universe must throw another googly at her – Baby fever!” I sighed.
Author’s Notes
~ All content on this blog is the intellectual property of the author. © 2026 Lirio Marchito. All rights reserved.
~ This blog is part of a series exploring my travels through Trivandrum, the capital city of my home state, Kerala, in India. You can read more posts from this series here. Trivandrum | Kerala| India
Lirio's Wanderings 