St. Andrew's Basilica Arthunkal

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Sight Address : St. Andrew’s Basilica is situates the simple and beautiful village Arthunkal, 22 kilometres to the north from Alappuzha, in Kerala. Edit

Detail InformationEdit

St. Andrew’s Basilica Arthunkal, the first Parish of the Diocese of Alleppey was elevated to the status of Basilica on 9 July 2010. St. Andrew’s Basilica Arthunkal became the first Basilica in the diocese of Alleppey and the 7th Basilica in Kerala. It is the 3rd Basilica of the Roman Catholic Latin church of Kerala.

St. Andrew’s Forane Church of Arthunkal

HistoryEdit

St. Andrew’s Forane Church, Arthunkal, Alappuzha district, Kerala, India, was originally built by the Portuguese missionaries in the 16th century. It has a fascinating history. The church was rebuilt in 1584, under the then vicar Fr. Jacoma Fenicio, whom the devotees claim, possessed magical powers to heal the body and mind. Devotees fondly referred to him as “Arthunkal Veluthachan”, which in English translates to “fair skinned father”. Fr. Fenicio died in 1632. Eight years after his death, the church was rebuilt again, this time facing the west towards the long white-sand beach on the shores of the Arabian Sea. In 1647, a statue of St. Sebastian, struck with arrows all over his bleeding body (he was executed on the order of the Roman emperor for embracing the Christian faith) sculptured in Milan, was brought and placed in the Arthunkal church.

Must SeeEdit

Popular

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Best Season to VisitEdit

September to March.

Best Time To VisitEdit

Morning, Afternoon & Evening.

Time Required for SightseeingEdit

Minimum 30 minutes.

Ticket Required : No Edit

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How to ReachEdit

Taxi : Local taxis are also available at cheap rates. There are many Car rental companies offering cars with drivers or self drive. Rates are around Rs 7 per km but there are all sorts of extras.

Bus : There are bus services operating from cities like Cochin (1:15 hours, Rs 33), Thiruvananthapuram, Kozhikode, Chennai, Bangalore (overnight luxury Rs 650), Mysore, Coimbatore (overnight Rs.220) to Alappuzha. Alappuzha has an excellent local bus service system and it is cheap.

Train : Alappuzha railway station is a major station, which link every important city in India. This railway station is easily accessible throughout India. There are direct trains to Thiruvananthapuram and Ernakulam and also to further North from this station. from railway station taxi or autorickshaws are easily available to reach the site.

Air : Cochin International Airport is the nearest airport. Expect to pay about Rs.450 for a taxi to get from Cochin airport to Cochin, then Bus or train to Alleppey. Alternatively come to airports at Thiruvananthapuram (Trivandrum), Kozhikode (Calicut), Chennai, Bangalore and catch a train to Alappuzha. from airport buses, taxi or autorickshaws are easily available to reach the site.

Others : Autorickshaw : This is cheap way of transportation between attractions in Alappuzha.

Ferry services : Regular ferry services connect most locations on both banks of the backwaters.The Kerala State Water Transport Department operates ferries for passengers as well as tourists. It is the cheapest mode of transport through the backwaters.