Palayoor or (Palayur) is a part of Thrissur district and is located on the west coast of Kerala, in India. By road it is 28 km from Thrissur on the Thrissur – Chavakad route via Pavaratty. It is very near to Guruvayoor, which is only 2 km away.
Palayoor is famous for its Christian church, St. Thomas Church (Palayur) which is believed to have been established by St. Thomas the Apostle in AD 52. It was the first Christian Church in India. St. Thomas, the Apostle, arrived in AD 52 at Crangannur {now Kodungallur} with Jewish merchants for the propagation of Christ’s message and through the sea route reached Palayoor in 52 AD and built the Church here. Palayoor also had an ancient Jewish settlement known as the Jews' Hill. There is evidence that the area has a long history of contact with the Western world; Greek scholars were apparently aware of the district, for example.