Santa Cruz Cathedral Basilica

Santa Cruz Cathedral Basilica is the Roman Catholic cathedral of the Diocese of Cochin, standing in the heart of Fort Kochi, Kerala. The present white building, in a Gothic revival style with twin spires, was consecrated in 1905. It is one of the eight basilicas in India and among the most visited churches in Kerala.

The first church on the site was built by the Portuguese and consecrated in 1505, and it was raised to a cathedral in 1558. When the Dutch captured Kochi in 1663 they spared it but used it as a store, and the British later demolished it in 1795. Bishop Dom Gomes Ferreira began a new cathedral at the end of the 19th century, and it was consecrated in 1905. Pope John Paul II declared Santa Cruz a basilica in 1984. It remains an active parish church, and its interior, painted by Italian and local artists, is the reason most visitors come.

What to see

• The pastel painted ceiling and columns of the nave
• Canvas paintings of the Passion and the Last Supper, modelled on Leonardo da Vinci's work
• Stained glass windows along the aisles
• The main altar and the wooden pulpit
• The twin white spires, best photographed from the square outside

What to wear

Santa Cruz Cathedral Basilica is an active church: cover shoulders and knees, remove hats and keep voices low. A light scarf or long skirt is enough in the heat. Fort Kochi is humid all year, so loose cotton and comfortable walking shoes are best, with an umbrella from June to September. Kerala's traditional dress is the kasavu saree with a gold border and the white mundu; at Sunday mass many local women wear sarees or churidars with a dupatta.

Local food to try

Fort Kochi's cafes and small restaurants around Santa Cruz serve the dishes of Kochi's Latin and Syrian Christian communities: appam with chicken or vegetable stew, duck roast, beef fry with parotta, and fish moilee in coconut milk. Plum cake is a Kochi Christmas tradition sold by the town's bakeries. For seafood, walk to the stalls by the fishing nets, where cooks will prepare your chosen fish. Vegetarian travellers can rely on appam, stews and Kerala meals.

Good to know

• Best time: October to March; the basilica is decorated for Christmas and Easter
• Open daily; visitors are welcome outside mass times
• Free entry
• Allow 20 to 30 minutes
• In central Fort Kochi, about 40 km, or around one and a half hours, from Cochin International Airport
• Photography is usually allowed without flash, but not during services

Nearby places

Santa Cruz Cathedral Basilica is a short walk from St. Francis Church and the Chinese Fishing Nets on the seafront. From there, Mattancherry's Jew Town is a few minutes away by auto-rickshaw.