St Francis Church

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Sight Address : St Francis Church is located at Napier Street, Fort Kochi, Kochi, Kerala, 682001. Edit

Detail InformationEdit

St Francis Church at Fort Kochi was built in the year 1503, by the Portuguese traders. They came here with Admiral Pedro Alvarez de Cabral, via the same route taken by the legendary Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama, who landed at Calicut in 1498. The Church is actually a quite modest, unpretentious structure. Architecturally, this church is not very jazzy, but it stands as a landmark of history and church architecture of India. Later, many churches were built in India keeping the Saint Francis Xavier Church of Cochin in mind.Initially, the church was a simple wooden structure, dedicated to St Bartholomew. In 1506, the Raja of Cochin permitted the Portuguese Viceroy, Dom Francisco Almedia, to reconstruct the structure in stone. The new church was completed in 1516 and was dedicated to St Antony. The ownership of the Church of St Francis Xavier then passed into the hands of the protestant Dutch, who captured Kochi in 1663. They converted it into their government church and it remained in the possession of the Dutch until 1795.

st-francis-church

HistoryEdit

St Francis Xavier’s Church at Fort Kochi was built in the year 1503, by the Portuguese traders. Vasco da Gama, who discovered the sea route from Europe to India, landed at Kappad near Kozhikode (Calicut) in 1498.[4] Vasco da Gama was followed by Pedro Álvares Cabral[4] and Afonso de Albuquerque. They built a fort at Kochi with permission from the Raja of Cochin. Within the fort, they built a church with a wooden structure, which was dedicated to St. Bartholomew. The neighbourhood is now known as Fort Kochi.Towards the entrance in front of St Francis Church Francisco de Almeida, the Portuguese viceroy, was allowed, in 1506, by the Raja of Cochin to reconstruct wooden buildings in stone and masonry. The wooden church was rebuilt, presumably by the Franciscan friars, with bricks and mortar and a tiled roof was erected. In 1516, the new church was completed and it was dedicated to St. Anthony.The Franciscans retained control over the church till the Dutch captured Kochi in 1663. While the Portuguese were Roman Catholics, the Dutch were Protestants. They demolished all the churches except this one. They reconditioned it and converted it into a government church.In 1795, the British captured Kochi from the Dutch but they allowed the latter to retain the church. In 1804, the Dutch voluntarily handed over the church to the Anglican Communion. It was placed under the Ecclesiastical Department of the Government of India. It is believed that the Anglicans changed the name of the patron saint to St. Francis.Front view of the church.The Church was declared a protected monument in April 1923 under the Protected Monuments Act of 1904. As a protected monument it is under the Archaeological Survey of India but is owned by the North Kerala diocese of Church of South India. It has services on Sundays and commemorative days. On weekdays it is kept open for visitors.

Must SeeEdit

Popular

Visiting TimeEdit

7.00 am to 7.00 pm daily.

Closed OnEdit

N.A.

Best Season to VisitEdit

September to May.

Best Time To VisitEdit

Morning, Afternoon And Evening.

Time Required for SightseeingEdit

1 to 2 Hours.

Ticket Required : No Edit

Individual National Adult Rs. : N.A.

Kids Rs. : N.A.

Individual Foreigner Adult Rs. : N.A.

Kids Rs. : N.A.

Still Photo Camera Rs. : N.A.

Video Camera Rs. : N.A.

Guide Required : No Edit

Approximate cost: N.A.

Dress Code (If Any) : No Edit

Dress Require: N.A.

Restaurants NearbyAdd / Edit

Pepper Route Fort – Kochi ; 1/50825, Near Cochin Cultural Centre, Fort Kochi , Kochi – 682035 ; Ph/M – N.A. ; Food Serve complementory cuisine.

How to ReachEdit

Taxi : After reaching Cochin, you can hire a cab, taxi, bus or auto-rickshaw to reach here.

BUS : Kochi is well connected by bus services. KSRTC connects Kochi with all major cities in Kerala and with many cities in Tamil Nadu and Karnataka. Deluxe Volvo buses are available in plenty at any time to Chennai, Bangalore, Trivandrum, Hyderabad and Mumbai from Kochi.

Train : The Nearest railway station is also at Ernakulam

Air : Nearest airport is 22 km away, in Nedumbassery.

Others : Autorickshaw : This is a cheap method of transport between attractions. You can find an auto stand at almost every bus stop, and at important places near junctions and residential areas. Make sure you agree on a fare with the driver before the journey. The govt fixed rates starts at Rs 10 for the first 1.25 km and Rs 6 per km thereafter with a premium of 15% at night (7PM-6AM).
Ferry – St. Francis Church, Kochi is accessible by boat from Ernakulam, 13 km away.

Things to CarryEdit

Carrying camera , water, sunscreen, and Loose light weight cloths.

Safety / WarningEdit

Keep your mobile in silent mode.
Cameras and handbags are not allowed inside the Synagogue.
Kochi is infamous for mosquitoes, due to presence of large water bodies across the city. Make sure any room you book, has mosquito repellents or at least a mosquito net. Its always better to have any anti-mosquito creams or spice oil extracts like lemongrass oil to ward off mosquito bites.
Public smoking bans are strictly enforced in the city more so than in other regions. The High Court of Kerala has decreed a public smoking ban across the state. Smoking on the roadside, in shopping complexes, restaurants, and parks is illegal and police can charge Rs 500-1,000 for breaches.