Constructed in 1503 by Portuguese Franciscan friars, this is believed to be India’s oldest European-built church. The faded-yellow edifice that stands here today was built in the mid-16th century to replace the original wooden chapel, though it was later altered by both the Dutch and British. Explorer Vasco da Gama, who died in Cochin in 1524, was buried in this spot for 14 years before his remains were taken to Lisbon – you can still visit his tombstone in the church.
St Francis Church
Kochi (Cochin)
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
1.4 MILES
Originally built in 1568, Mattancherry's synagogue was partially destroyed by the Portuguese in 1662, and rebuilt two years later when the Dutch took…
1.4 MILES
Mattancherry Palace was a generous gift presented to the Raja of Kochi, Veera Kerala Varma (1537–65), as a gesture of goodwill by the Portuguese in 1555…
13.95 MILES
Around 5km northeast of North Paravur, this beautifully restored synagogue is one of Kerala's most ancient, established in 1420 (though rebuilt in 1614…
0.16 MILES
The unofficial emblems of Kerala’s backwaters, and perhaps the most photographed, are the half-dozen giant cantilevered Chinese fishing nets on Fort…
4.57 MILES
Created in Kerala style from ancient temples and beautiful old houses collected by its owner, an antique dealer, the family-run folklore museum houses a…
8.44 MILES
Around 13km east of Ernakulam, this impressive 49-building palace complex was formerly the residence of the Kochi royal family. It now houses the…
0.26 MILES
The heritage of one of India’s earliest Catholic communities – including vestments, silver processional crosses, altarpieces from the Kochi diocese and…
26.58 MILES
This reserve on the 5-hectare site of a former rubber plantation on Vembanad Lake is the haunt of a variety of domestic and migratory birds. October to…
Nearby Kochi (Cochin) attractions
0.1 MILES
Though the interior of this 1667 Indo-European bungalow was being renovated into a museum at research time, you can admire its fine whitewashed, tiled…
0.1 MILES
Opposite the parade ground, this beautiful restored bungalow is all that remains of three 17th-century Dutch-era houses built using materials from…
0.16 MILES
Built on the site of an early-16th-century Portuguese church (demolished during the British Raj), Fort Cochin's imposing neoclassical Catholic basilica…
0.16 MILES
The unofficial emblems of Kerala’s backwaters, and perhaps the most photographed, are the half-dozen giant cantilevered Chinese fishing nets on Fort…
0.17 MILES
The pioneer of Fort Cochin’s art revival, Kashi displays changing exhibitions of local artists in a creatively restored Dutch heritage house, attached to…
0.22 MILES
Consecrated in 1724, this cemetery near Kochi's beach contains the worn and dilapidated graves of Dutch traders and soldiers. Its gates are normally…
0.26 MILES
The heritage of one of India’s earliest Catholic communities – including vestments, silver processional crosses, altarpieces from the Kochi diocese and…
0.31 MILES
One of Fort Cochin's Catholic churches, modern and white-walled.
- placement: superzone
- path: Destinations/POIs/superzone
- possible size: [970, 250], [970, 90], [728, 90], [1, 1],
- targeting:
{ "url": "india/kerala/kochi-cochin/attractions/st-francis-church/a/poi-sig/1150567/356338", "destination": "Kochi-(Cochin)", "continent": "Asia", "country": "India", "region": "Kerala", "city": "Kochi-(Cochin)", "position": "superzone" }