St Xavier Church

Views:

India /Tamil Nadu /Kanyakumari /Kanyakumari

Sight Address : St Xavier Church near Kanyakumari, Tamil Nadu Edit

Detail InformationEdit

St Xavier Churchis about 15 kilometers (9.3 miles) from Kanyakumari in Kottar, the stark white spires of St. Xavier Church stand sentinel over this little coastal town. It was built around 1600 by St. Francis Xavier during one of his trips to Kanyakumari district from Goa. During his stay in Kottar, Saint Xavier used to worship Mother Mary in a small temple. He even averted the invasion of the Padagas on the people of Venad which was appreciated greatly by the ruling king. And as a token of appreciation, the king allotted him a piece of land in Kottar to get a Catholic church constructed. The site already had a church in 1544 where the St. Xavier Church now stands. According to historical records, in 1865 the church was expanded and the shrine of Our Lady was also refurbished and vaulted over. Finally in 1930 the church was raised to the status of a cathedral. To commemorate the fourth centenary of the arrival of St. Francis Xavier in India, in 1942 an ornate spire to the saint, a grotto to Our Blessed Mother and a small shrine to St. Ignatius who sent him to India, were added to the cathedral precincts. The structure was further enlarged in 1955 and the chapel of Our Lady was also incorporated to it.Legend has it that the church was a place of miracles in the early times. Even today it enjoys great fame as evident from the huge gathering at the time of the 10-day-long annual feast celebrated in November-December.

St Xavier Church in Kanyakumari

HistoryEdit

St Xavier Church was later renovated in 1865 and the Church of St. Mary was taken over. In the year 1930, St Xavier Church rose to the status of a Cathedral.In 1942, a tower to honour St Francis Xavier was constructed. A grotto for St. Mary and a minor shrine for St. Ignatius were also constructed within the premises of this cathedral. In 1955, the church was again renovated and the Chapel of St. Mary was added to this church.St.Francis Xavier, a Spanish Jesuit missionary, landed in Goa in May 1542 and he sailed from Goa to Cape Comorin in October 1542 on missionary tour to Travancore Once a great band of dacoits attacked Travancore.Afterwards the Bishops of Cochin constructed a new and more spacious church that was richly endowed with precious ornaments and utensils gifted by the Kings of Portugal The mortal remains of Christian martyr Devasahayam Pillai were given a Christian burial in front of the high altar of St.Xavier`s church at Kottar in January AD 1752.While being one of the oldest churches in the whole of erstwhile Southern Travancore, it is definitely the oldest Cathedral church of Roman Catholic Diocese of Kottar in the present-day`s Kanyakumari district (of Tamil Nadu) since there are three more dioceses got established here later on.

Must SeeEdit

Attraction

Visiting TimeEdit

8:00 A.M to 6:00 P.M

Closed OnEdit

N.A.

Best Season to VisitEdit

October to March

Best Time To VisitEdit

Morning,Afternoon & Evening

Time Required for SightseeingEdit

N.A.

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

Hotel Prabhu ; Sp office Rd Nagercoil, Tamil Nadu ; Ph/M – 04652 235 676 ; Food Serve – N.A.

How to ReachEdit

Taxi : (Kanniyakumari Car Rental), taxiGUIDE.in ☎ +91 888 023 4455 (support@taxiguide.in), [1]. Inquiry: 7am to 11pm. Kanniyakumari Car Rental services on taxiGUIDE.in – a Chauffeur Driven Car Rental service in 75 Cities in India. Fares start from Rs.2000 for full day local & Rs.14.5/km for Outstation.

BUS : From Thirvananthapuram (or Kovalam Beach) or take one of the daily Kanyakumari tours organised by KTDC (Kerala Tourism Development Corporation). Frequent buses run from Thiruvananthapuram’s Thampanoor bus stand for Padmanabhampuram, on the highway to Kanyakumari. Best way is to board any bus for Nagercoil or Kanyakumari and alight at Thuckalay. You could also hire a cab from Thiruvananthapuram.

Train : Kanyakumari (CAPE), Kanyakumari Railway Station and the nearest 2 nd railway station is at Nagercoil (15km) and local station is Iraniel (6km) from the palace.Railways are considered as the most prominent means of transport to get here. Travelers can get any number of trains to reach Kanyakumari including trains to Delhi and Bangalore. The Kanyakumari express, Himsagar express, Kanyakumari Howrah express, Tirrukural express, Bangalore express and Island express and many others are some trains which operate from major cities connecting Kanyakumari.

Air : Nearest Airport is Trivandrum International Airport which is at a distance of 87 km from Kanyakumari. Trivandrum airport is well connected with many major cities in India and abroad. Direct flights from many gulf countries are available from Trivandrum. Tourist taxi charges about Rs 1,500 from Trivandrum to Kanyakumari.

Others : Most people travel around Kanniyakumari using a hired vehicle. Auto-rickshaws (tuk tuks) are available, along with buses. Buses are about Rs15 from the station to the point, and Rs 7.5 from the bus station to the point.