St. Francis Church – Cochin
April 19, 2010 by admin
Filed under St. Francis Church
This is India’s first European church. It was built in 1503, by a group of Portuguese Franciscan friars who came to Kochi along with Pedro Alvarez Cabral. This centuries old church at Fort Kochi was originally built completely of timber and later reconstructed in stone masonry. It was formerly a Catholic church but now converted to an Anglican church by the British in 1795 and is at present governed by the Church of South India (CSI).
The façade is typical Portuguese with vivid curves and steep pinnacles on either side such as the west facing entrance that has a semi – circular arched opening with a window above. In the centre of the façade wall is the bell turret at the gable front.
But there are traditional elements too, such as the gable – ended roof, which is of timber and covered with Mangalore patterned tiles. Here, you can also see and admire the traditional fan – pankha that is made up of ornamental wood and fabric and is suspended from the coffered ceiling. The highlight of this church is that it has Vasco da Gamma’s tombstone.