The saint Francis’s Church

Church Saint Francis Church is the first Church in Kochi, India which is famous allover the world for its unique architectural and religious values, more so because the history of this church reflects the disputes India had with European powers which kept us in slavery for a prolonged period from 15^th to middle of 20^th century.

The foreign connections

Vasco da Gama arrived on coasts of Calicut new name Kozhikode situated in Kerala the God’s own land in the year 1498 followed by another Portuguese ship that reached Kochi in 1950. The Portuguese willing to establish business relations especially interested in Indian spices, met the then king of Kochi to seek his permission and go into an agreement which the king approved readily.

It started in the year 1503 when the king of Kochi permitted Portuguese to build a fort for their security protected by stones and sand. The Portuguese constructed a grand Church which was in the middle of thick forests within the forests that was dedicated to St. Bartholomew. The Portuguese did further construction around the church and carried out changes to develop the area. Vasco da Gama visited this area later where he died in 1524 and rested here.

Dutch and Portuguese memorials

The Church was under the control of Portuguese until 1963 but once the Dutch took control of the area, it saw rapid changes. They even removed some of the beautiful stones of the Saint Francis’s church and sent them to another church constructed by Roman Catholics during that period. They removed many other valuable items from this church to set them in other buildings. Visitors to Saint Francis church can see two different sets of cultures in the fort. They can see Dutch tombs near the southern walls of the fort and Portuguese tombs along the northern walls. The tomb of Vasco da Gama is also in the southern side.

Conclusion

The church is fully protected and open for devotees coming from allover the world to this part of our country. The church besides having religious values is great work of scriptural excellence. The special sessions of prayers on Sundays and other ceremonies make it a must visit place.   

Article Posted By : suny  On October 25, 2013lView All Articles

I have seen this area and love to visit it. 

Article Source :

http://www.veethi.com/articles/church-of-saint-francis---kerala--article-2804.htm

Keywords :
Church , Saint , Francis