Even in its 510th year, the St Francis Church in Fort Kochi still remains a symbol of the rich cultural heritage of the city.
Originally built in 1503, the church was a mute witness to the European colonial struggle when the place was under the rule of the Portuguese, the Dutch, and then the English.
Vasco da Gama, who discovered the sea route from Europe to India, breathed his last here on the Christmas eve of 1524. He was buried in this Church. He was the then Viceroy of Kochi and Goa.
“Gama was followed by Pedro Alvares Cabral and Afonso de Albuquerque. They built a fort here with the permission of the then Raja of Kochi. Within the fort, they built a chapel which was dedicated to St Bartholomew,” said Austin Paul, president of the International Forum for Cultural Heritage and Tradition (IFCHAT).
Francisco de Almeida, the then Portuguese viceroy, in 1506, reconstructed the wooden buildings in stone and masonry. The wooden Church was rebuilt, presumably by the Franciscan friars, with bricks and mortar and a tiled roof was constructed. The construction of the new Church was completed in 1516 and it was dedicated to St Anthony. The Franciscans retained control of the church till the Dutch captured the place in 1663. The Dutch, who were protestants, demolished all Churches constructed by the Portuguese, who were Catholics, except this one. The Dutch reconditioned it and converted it into a government Church.
Though the British captured the place in 1795, they allowed the Dutch to retain the Church. In 1804, the Dutch voluntarily handed over the Church to the Anglican Communion. It was placed under the Ecclesiastical Department of the Government of India. It is believed that the Anglicans changed the name of the patron saint to St Francis.
The Church was declared a protected monument in April 1923 under the Protected Monuments Act of 1904. Though a protected monument under the Archaeological Survey of India, it is now owned by the North Kerala diocese of the Church of South India. There are services on Sundays and commemorative days and is open for visitors on the weekdays.
IFCHAT will observe the International Heritage Day on the anniversary of St Francis Church. The function organised in connection with the celebrations will be inaugurated by Cochin Port Trust chairman Paul Antony. IFCHAT president Austin Paul will preside over. Cochin Port traffic manager C Unnikrishnan Nair will be the chief guest.
