PilgrimstaysThe magnificent Santa Cruz Cathedral Basilica at Fort Kochi has a history dating back to 1505. It begins with the first contingent of eight Franciscan friars, who set sail from Lisbon aboard the fleet of Pedro Alvarez Cabral on the 9th of March, 1500. Landing at Calicut, three of the priests were tragically slain in the massacre of 16th November, 1500. Calicut was at that time under the sway of the Zamorin, who had no love lost for the Portuguese. The survivors arrived at Cochin by the end of November, where they were warmly received by its ruler, Trimumpara Raja or the King Unni Goda Varma. Angered by the reception accorded to his arch enemies, the Portuguese, the Zamorin attacked the Kingdom of Cochin. It was the Portuguese fleet commanded by the legendary Afonso de Albuquerque, which came to the aid of the beleagured Trimumpara Raja. The superior fire power of the Portuguese cannons prevailed and Cochin was saved from certain defeat. As a gesture, its grateful ruler accorded the Portuguese permission to build a Fort at Kochi. Strange as it may sound today, limestone and mortar was not to be used in any construction save a royal palace or a temple. The first Portuguese Viceroy Dom Francisco de Almeida, succeeded in obtaining permission from the Raja to use these sturdy materials in constructing the original Santa Cruz church. As the foundation was laid on May 3rd 1505, the feast day of the Invention of the Holy Cross, it was natural that the church be named Santa Cruz. A Relic of The Holy Cross used in the crucifixion of Jesus Christ is hosted in the Basilica. In 1558, the church was elevated to the status of a Cathedral by Pope Paul IV. In 1663, Cochin was conquered by the Dutch whose policy was to destroy all things Catholic. Although the church was not razed to the ground, it was converted by the Dutch for use as an armoury. Over a century later in 1795, the English took control of Cochin. They demolished the cathedral which was now being used to store arms. A decorative granite pillar from the original Cathedral survives to this day, and is preserved as a monument in the Basilica. In 1885, plans for the re-erection of the Cathedral were put in place. Construction proceeded over the next twenty years. The cathedral was consecrated on 19 November 1905. Its main altar was decorated by Fr Antonio Moscheni, the Italian Jesuit from Mangalore, who was responsible for the frescoes that adorn the St Aloysius Chapel there. Unfortunately Fr Moscheni, never lived to witness the formal consecration as he died at Cochin on 15 November 1905, a mere four days prior to the event. The cathedral abounds in stunning murals, frescoes on its majestic columns, stained glass art of exquisite craftsmanship besides large canvas paintings of extraordinary calibre. One such painting of the Last Supper is modelled on the world famous one by Leonardo da Vinci. Twin spires complete the majestic exterior bathed in a dazzling white wash. In view of its historical importance and priceless artistic worth, Pope John Paul II on 23 August 1984, raised the Santa Cruz Cathedral to the status of Basilica.
It begins with the first contingent of eight Franciscan friars, who set sail from Lisbon aboard the fleet of Pedro Alvarez Cabral on the 9th of March, 1500
The first Portuguese Viceroy Dom Francisco de Almeida, succeeded in obtaining permission from the Raja to use these sturdy materials in constructing the original Santa Cruz church
As the foundation was laid on May 3rd 1505, the feast day of the Invention of the Holy Cross, it was natural that the church be named Santa Cruz
A Relic of The Holy Cross used in the crucifixion of Jesus Christ is hosted in the Basilica
In 1558, the church was elevated to the status of a Cathedral by Pope Paul IV
The interior of the Santa Cruz Basilica is one of the great surprises of Fort Kochi — the whitewashed Gothic exterior gives no indication of the richness within. The nave ceiling and walls are painted in brilliant colours depicting scenes from the Gospels and the lives of the saints. The effect is extraordinary — a Gothic cathedral interior decorated in a style that combines European iconography with tropical colour.
The twin Gothic towers of the Santa Cruz Basilica, visible above the mango trees and colonial bungalows of Fort Kochi, are one of the defining images of the quarter. The towers are best seen from the approach road from the ferry ghat — arriving by ferry from Ernakulam and walking toward the church through the Fort Kochi lanes is one of the finest arrivals at any Indian Catholic church.
The 10-minute walk from the Santa Cruz Basilica to St Francis Church (where Vasco da Gama was originally buried in 1524) passes through the most historically layered portion of Fort Kochi — colonial bungalows, art galleries in Dutch-era buildings, the remains of the Portuguese and Dutch fortifications, and the smell of the sea. It is one of the great short heritage walks in India.
The Chinese fishing nets on the Fort Kochi seafront — enormous cantilever nets operated by teams of fishermen, introduced to Kochi by Chinese traders in the 14th century — are one of the iconic images of Kerala. At sunset, with the backwaters behind them and the sky turning orange, they are extraordinary. The basilica bells can sometimes be heard from the seafront at the evening Angelus.
St Francis Church — originally built in 1503 and rebuilt in stone in 1516, making it the oldest European church in India still standing — is a 5-minute walk from the Santa Cruz Basilica. Vasco da Gama was buried here in 1524 (his remains were later returned to Portugal). The combination of the two churches in the same quarter — oldest church in India and one of the first cathedral basilicas — makes Fort Kochi an unparalleled Catholic heritage site.
Kochi in 1505 was the most important location in the world for the trade in spices. The Portuguese had figured this out and were establishing their position by building a fort and a church. The church was the first thing Francisco de Almeida built. Not the fort — the church first, then the fort. That ordering of priorities says something about how the Portuguese understood their mission. Whether one agrees with what they subsequently did, the church they built first is still standing, 500 years later, in the middle of one of the most beautiful colonial harbour towns in the world.
“Then you will look and be radiant, your heart will throb and swell with joy; the wealth on the seas will be brought to you, to you the riches of the nations will come.”
Read in full on Bible Gateway →The magnificent Santa Cruz Cathedral Basilica at Fort Kochi has a history dating back to 1505. It begins with the first contingent of eight Franciscan friars, who set sail from Lisbon aboard the fleet of Pedro Álvares Cabral on the 9th of March, 1500.
Landing at Calicut, three of the priests were tragically slain in the massacre of 16 November 1500. Calicut was at that time under the sway of the Zamorin, who had no love lost for the Portuguese. The survivors arrived at Cochin by the end of November, where they were warmly received by its ruler, Trimumpara Raja, or King Unni Goda Varma.
Angered by the reception accorded to his arch-enemies the Portuguese, the Zamorin attacked the Kingdom of Cochin. It was the Portuguese fleet commanded by the legendary Afonso de Albuquerque that came to the aid of the beleaguered Trimumpara Raja. The superior firepower of the Portuguese cannons prevailed, and Cochin was saved from certain defeat. As a gesture, its grateful ruler accorded the Portuguese permission to build a fort at Kochi.
Strange as it may sound today, limestone and mortar was not to be used in any construction save a royal palace or a temple. The first Portuguese Viceroy, Dom Francisco de Almeida, succeeded in obtaining permission from the Raja to use these sturdy materials in constructing the original Santa Cruz church. As the foundation was laid on 3 May 1505, the feast day of the Invention of the Holy Cross, it was natural that the church be named Santa Cruz. A relic of the Holy Cross used in the crucifixion of Jesus Christ is hosted in the basilica. In 1558, the church was elevated to the status of a cathedral by Pope Paul IV.
In 1663, Cochin was conquered by the Dutch, whose policy was to destroy all things Catholic. Although the church was not razed to the ground, it was converted by the Dutch for use as an armoury. Over a century later, in 1795, the English took control of Cochin. They demolished the cathedral, which was by then being used to store arms. A decorative granite pillar from the original cathedral survives to this day, preserved as a monument in the basilica.
In 1885, plans for the re-erection of the cathedral were put in place. Construction proceeded over the next twenty years. The cathedral was consecrated on 19 November 1905. Its main altar was decorated by Fr Antonio Moscheni, the Italian Jesuit from Mangalore, who was responsible for the frescoes that adorn the St Aloysius Chapel there. Unfortunately, Fr Moscheni never lived to witness the formal consecration, as he died at Cochin on 15 November 1905, a mere four days prior to the event.
The cathedral abounds in stunning murals, frescoes on its majestic columns, stained glass art of exquisite craftsmanship, and large canvas paintings of extraordinary calibre. One such painting of the Last Supper is modelled on the world-famous one by Leonardo da Vinci. Twin spires complete the majestic exterior, bathed in a dazzling whitewash. In view of its historical importance and priceless artistic worth, Pope John Paul II, on 23 August 1984, raised the Santa Cruz Cathedral to the status of basilica.
