Mar Sabor and Mar Proth

Mor Sabor and Mor Afroth, according to Syrian Christians of Kerala, were two bishops from the Monastery of Mar Awgin (often described in local memory as “Syrian bishops”) who are believed to have arrived around 825 AD along with a group of Christian settlers from Modern day turkey. Together, they established ecclesiastical institutions in several regions. Revered for their devoutness, they were posthumously recognized as saints by the local ecclesiastical body. The mission is said to have received permission from the then king of Kerala to build a church in Kollam.

That the historicity of this mission cannot be verified does not dispute the epigraphical evidence that Christians were on the Malabar Coast in 9th century AD. Kollam Syrian copper plates, a 9th-century royal grant from Kerala, mentions that certain Maruvan Sapir Iso built a church at Kollam with the blessing of the then Emperor of Kerala. It is likely that Mar Sapir had a companion named Mar Proth. A stone cross, one of the five Persian Crosses, with Sassanid Pahlavi inscription recovered also mentions certain "Afras the Syrian" as "the son of Chaharabukht".

Mor Sabor and Mor afroth, as bishops from the Church of the East, played a significant role in consolidating the East Syriac tradition among the Saint Thomas Christians of Kerala in the 9th century.The Quilon Copper Plate Grants (849 AD) issued to them by Chera ruler Ayyanadikal Thiruvadikal secured land, trade rights, and privileges for the Christian community, enabling it to flourish as a distinct socio-religious body in Kerala. Through their liturgical, institutional, and communal contributions, Mor Sabor and Mor afroth helped establish the foundations of Syriac Christianity in India, a legacy that continues in the Malankara Church

The two bishops are said to have died in Kerala and have been considered as saints by the Syro–malabar Church, Jacobite Syriac Orthodox Church and Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church.