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pravasavarnana · 7 years

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The oldest European church built in India….

Reflection of the Colonial struggle of various European powers in India….

First resting place of the first European who discovered the sea route to India from Europe…..

A catholic church in the beginning and now an Anglican church…

A living historical monument of today’s Kochi or Cochin……

Yes, the St Francis CSI church in Fort Kochi is all this and much more. A must visit for not only people with religious bent of mind but also a must visit for all history lovers, architecture lovers.

For Photographs / Picture Gallery Click here

The Portuguese were the first among Europeans to discover sea route to India, Vasco da Gama had landed in Calicut in 1498. In 1500 after being repelled from Calicut, Admiral Pedro Alvares Cabral & his fleet landed in Cochin. With the promise of support during the conquest of Calicut, Admiral Alvares coaxed the Rajah of Cochin to allow Portuguese to allocate a ‘Fetoria’ (factory) to Portuguese. The outcome of the conquest was not favourable, Admiral Cabal was called back to Portugal. The king allowed 30 Portuguese and 4 Franciscan friars to stay back in Cochin.

In 1502 a new expedition under Vasco da Gama landed in Cochin and the friendship was renewed. Vasco da Gama bombed Calicut & Arab trading posts. The Zamorins of Calicut declared a war against Cochin (Battle of Cochin – ended in 1504), destroying the Fetoria and forcing the Portuguese and the King of Cochin to withdraw to the island of Vyapin. Here they were reinforced by Portuguese fleets under Lope Soares de Albergaria & armada led by Francisco de Almeida & Afonso de Albuquerque. In September 1503, the foundations for the first Portuguese fortress in India was laid (timber fortress).

Inside this fortress the Portuguese erected a church made of wood which was dedicated to St. Bartholomew. This stood on the same place where the present church is.

The Zamorins were defeated, the King of Cochin was re-established. Between 1505-1506, the Portuguese Viceroy Dom Francisco Almeyda was permitted by the Rajah (King) of Cochin to build a new city using mortar, stone & building roofed with tiles. This privilege till then had been given only for palaces of the princes and the temples in which they performed the puja.

The earlier wooden church now was replaced with one made of bricks and mortar. The church dedicated to St. Antony was completed in the year 1516.

In the year 1524 Vasco da Gama returned to Cochin, here he died on 24th December. He was buried in this church. But this was not to be his final resting place – 14 year later his remains were shipped to Portugal & were deposited at Vidigyeria, but it not was till 1872 he was given the final resting place – the monastery of Jeronimos in Lisbon.

Vasco da Gama was buried here

The Dutch arrived in Cochin in 1663, till then the church remained in the Order of St. Francis. The Dutch ordered all catholic priests to quit, they destroyed all the convents and churches of the place except the Church of Franciscans (St. Francis Church). This church was reconditioned & reconverted to the Dutch Government Church, the first service was celebrated on 8th January 1664. The stone altar, the wiring guilded screens were removed during the reconditioning. The same were taken to the Church of our Lady of Hope in Vyapeen which was built by Roman Catholics (with permission of Dutch). In their place a communion table and the rostrum furniture was installed.

The church was renovated in 1779.

The British captured Cochin from the Dutch in 1795, they permitted the Dutch to retain the possession of the church for some time. Finally in 1804, the Dutch surrendered the church to the Anglican Communion.

Rev Thomas Norton came to Cochin (associated with Church Missionary Society) in 1816, found the church was in a poor state; bare walls, dilapidated interiors, partially fallen roof. The church was sufficiently restored to enable Bishop Middleton to use it for a confirmation service during his visit to the Malabar Coast. A table over the west door inside the church shows that it was repaired by the Government of Madras in 1887, being the fiftieth year of the reign of Victoria, Queen of Great Britain and Ireland and Empress of India.

The Church has many more of such interesting features; it is believed that the Anglicans changed the name of the patron saint to St, Francis, it was not until 1870 that any reference is made to St Francis church; in 1886 the gravestones were removed from the floors of the graves in church and they were laid on the walls of the church – Portuguese gravestones can be seen on the Northern side wall and Dutch gravestones on the Southern Side. The Cenotaph in memory of residents of Cochin who fell in the war of 1920 was erected and unveiled by the Governor of Madras in October 1920. The boundary walls were erected in 1924. The clock on the church was erected in the year 1923 in the memory of Hal Harrison Jones, a former Managing Director of Aspinwall & Company (one of the earliest commercial enterprises in Malabar, established in 1867).

While visiting the church one can have a look at the Doop Book – the old baptism & marriage register from 1751-1804 and get a link to the past. The pankhas (fans), the furniture in the church are all reminder of the British opulence of that period.

The church became a protected monument in April 1923 under the Protected Monument Act of 1904. As a protected monument it is under the Archaeological Survey of India, but the Church of South India (C.S.I) owns the church. The church has regular services and is open for visitors & tourists.

St. Francis CSI Church, Fort Kochi is different, it may not be as artistically opulent as the churches in Old Goa, but it definitely has a lot of history hidden in every nook and corner.

For all photographs / picture gallery, click here

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The oldest European church built in India Reflection of the Colonial struggle of various European powers in India First resting place of the first European who discovered the sea route to India from Europe The oldest European church built in India…. Reflection of the Colonial struggle of various European powers in India….

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