St. Francis Church is the oldest European church in India that was first built in 1503. The Portuguese explorer Vasco Da Gama visited India three times and during his third visit in 1524, he died in Kochi and was buried in this church. However after 14 years, his remains were taken to Lisbon.

Vasco da Gama landed at Calicut for the first time in 1498 and they obtained the permission of the king of Cochin to build a fort. They built a church within the premises of the fort and this was dedicated to St. Bartholomew. Later this was demolished by the Dutch and was reconditioned and converted into a government church. It was declared as the protected monument in 1923 by the government and was brought under the control of the Archaeological Survey of India.