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St. Francis Church, allegedly India's oldest European-built church, was constructed in 1503 by Portuguese Franciscan friars who accompanied the expedition led by Pedro Alvarez Cabral. The original wooden structure was rebuilt in stone around the mid-16th century. The earliest Portuguese inscription in the church is dated 1562. The Protestant Dutch captured Cochin in 1663 and restored the church in 1779. After the occupation of Cochin by the British in 1795, it became an Anglican church and is presently being used by the Church of South India. Having died in Cochin in 1524, Vasco da Gama was buried here for 14 years before his remains were taken to Lisbon. His tombstone can be seen in the church. Rope-operated punkahs or fans are one of this Church's unusual features. |
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