About St.Francis Church:
The St. Francis Church is located in Fort Kochi, Ernakulam district, Kerala. It is the first European Church in India. Vasco da Gama, the first European to come to India was buried here at the St. Francis Church. St. Francis Church was originally dedicated to Santo Antonio, the patron Saint of Portugal. Situated 2 Km west of Mattancherry in Fort Cochin, St. Francis Church is a living historical monument and one of the main tourist attractions in Fort Kochi.Situated at Parade Road, 2 Kms west of Mattancherry, Fort Cochin, this Church was originally dedicated to Santo Antonio, the patron Saint of Portugal. It was built by the Portuguese in 1510. It is the first church to have been built in the new European influenced tradition. Vasco – da – Gama who arrived in India at Cochin in 1502 and died here in 1524. He was originally buried in this church cemetery. After 14 years his remains were removed to Portugal. The gravestone of Vasco – da – Gama can still be seen here. The church was renamed as St.Francis in 1663, and the Dutch converted it to a protestant Church and substantially modified it. The Church was under the control of Dutch until 1795. In 1804 it became a Anglican Church. The congregation joined the church of South India in 1949. The Sunday service is at 0800 hrs, except the 3rd Sunday of each month. Opens from sunrise – sunset. The Santa Cruz Cathedral close to St. Francis Church was completed in 1904, which has some attractive paintings. The St. Francis Church was originally a wooden structure. In AD 1506, the Portuguese Viceroy, Dom Francisco Almeida was permitted by the Cochin Raja to reconstruct the buildings in stone masonry. Consequently, the Franciscan friars refurbished the wooden Church with bricks and mortar and a tiled roof was erected. In 1516 A.D the new church was completed and it was dedicated to St. Antony. When the Dutch captured Kochi in 1663, they converted it into their official church and made some renovations in AD 1779. This St. Francis church was under the control of the Dutch until 1795 when the British captured Kochi from the Dutch. They allowed the Dutch to retain the church for sometime. In 1804, the Dutch willingly surrendered the church to the Anglican Communion when it was passed to Ecclesiastical Department of the Government of India. It is said that the Anglicans changed the name of the patron saint to St. Francis. The St. Francis church became a protected monument in April 1923 under the Protected Monuments Act of 1904. The Cenotaph, in memory of the residents of Cochin who fell in the First Great War, was erected in 1920 and was unveiled by the Governor of Madras in October that year. The boundary walls were erected in 1924. In 1947, the congregation joined the Protestant Church of South India (CSI). Being a modest unpretentious structure, The St. Francis Church has no particular architectural merit, but it stands as a landmark of history and church architecture of India. It is interesting to note that numerous churches have been built in India keeping the St. Francis church as the model. It has been raised on a plan similar to the earlier types prevalent in Kerala, though in elevation This Church has discarded the idea of dominating tower over the chance.
General Information about St.Francis Church:
Location: Ernakulam
State: Kerala
Capital: Thiruvananthapuram
Language: Malayalam, English, Hindi
Temperature: Max 36˚C, Min 22˚C (summer), Max 28˚C, Min 18˚C (winter)
Best Season: August to March
How to Reach St.Francis Church:
By Air:
The airport is situated 5 km. away from Ernakulam. Cochin airport has domestic and international terminals.
By Rail:
Ernakulam is connected to all cities in India by railroad. There are two main stations, Ernakulam Junction and Ernakulam Town also known as north station along with additional train stations in Cochin terminal, Aluva and Tripunithura. Ernakulam Town junction is prominent and most of the trains pass through this station.
By Road:
Kochi is connected by good roads with various centers of south India by national highways and linked to all towns in Kerala. The central bus station is situated in the heart of Ernakulam city and is very close to the Ernakulam Junction railway station. Long route private buses operate from High Court Jn., Railway Station and Kaloor Junction.
By Water:
The main Ferry Station (Boat Jetty) is located 1 km. from Junction railway station and has services to the following places. The ferry to Bolgatty Island operates from the jetty near the High Court. Boat services to Chaganacherry, Kottayam, Alapuzha, Vypeen, Fort Cochin, Mattancherry, and Willingdon Island etc. are available.
By Local Transport:
Taxis, buses and auto rickshaws are available for local transport within Ernakulam.
Ermakulam and Kochi are Same:
Ermakulam and Kochi are same. ernakulam is the new developed metro city area and Kochi (Cochin) is the old town. Fortkochi and Mattancherry are the very old regions. You will get taxi cabs, bus and boat to reach Fortkochi and mattanchery.Basically Ernakulam and Kochi are same. Kochi is the old name of Ernakulam and especially Kochi is Fortkochi (Cochin 1) and Mattancherry (Cochin 2). There is another one part named Edakochi. Now the Heart of Kochi is M.G Road and Marine Drive. Mg Road is Kochim35 and 36 and also Marine Drive is Kochi 17. The distance between Old Kochi and the new part of Kochi i.e., Ernakulam is 15 kms by road and 5 km by water (back water) through Boat or Jankar.