St Francis Church, Fort Kochi: Vasco da Gama's First Grave and What to See

Fort Kochi's St Francis Church was first built in 1503, which makes it one of the oldest European churches in India, and it is where Vasco da Gama was buried after he died in Kochi in 1524. About fourteen years later his remains went back to Portugal, and since the late 1800s they have been in Lisbon's Jeronimos Monastery, but a marker inside the church still shows where he was first buried. There is no listed entry fee, the church belongs to the Church of South India (CSI), and it has been a protected monument since 1923. You need about half an hour.

• How old is St Francis Church in Kochi?
• Is Vasco da Gama buried in St Francis Church?
• What is there to see inside?
• What are the St Francis Church timings?

How old is St Francis Church in Kochi?

Very old, even by Fort Kochi standards. The Portuguese put up the first church here in 1503 as a timber building. In 1506 the viceroy Francisco de Almeida got the Raja of Kochi's permission to rebuild wooden structures in stone and masonry, and the stone church was completed around 1516. It was first dedicated to St Bartholomew, then to St Antony, and took the name of St Francis only under the British.

What makes it remarkable is how many owners it has survived. The building has changed hands with every power that held Fort Kochi:

Period	Who ran it
1503 to 1663	The Portuguese, with Franciscan friars in charge
1663 onwards	The Dutch, who were Protestant; they demolished the other churches in Kochi but kept this one as a government church
1795 onwards	The British, who made it an Anglican church
Today	The Church of South India (CSI)

In April 1923 it was declared a protected monument, and it has been looked after as a heritage building ever since, while still holding regular services.

Is Vasco da Gama buried in St Francis Church?

Not any more. Vasco da Gama died in Kochi in 1524, on his third voyage to India, and was buried in this church. About fourteen years later his remains were taken back to Portugal, first to Vidigueira. In 1880 what were thought to be his bones were moved to the Jeronimos Monastery in Lisbon, but the wrong remains had been taken, and the right ones followed in 1898.

The spot where he was first buried is marked inside the church, and it is the thing almost every visitor comes to photograph. One nice twist: for a long time another stone, carved with the name Vasco, was mistaken for da Gama's. It actually belongs to Vasco Fernandes Pimentel, a later Portuguese governor. The grave is empty; the rest of the building is not.

What is there to see inside?

The church is plain by the standards of the Catholic basilicas nearby, and that simplicity is part of its character. Look for:

• The marker for Vasco da Gama's first burial.
• Portuguese tombstones from the sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries, among them one for Vasco Fernandes Pimentel, who served as Governor of Cochin in the 1560s.
• The punkahs, large cloth fans on wooden frames hanging above the pews, pulled by hand with a rope to cool the congregation.
• The facade, a gabled front flanked by stepped pinnacles, easiest to appreciate from the lawn outside.

Be honest about what you are getting. Inside, it is one long hall that takes ten minutes to see properly. It is a place of worship, not a museum, so there are few labels and you are expected to be quiet and dress modestly. If you want grand interiors, the Santa Cruz Basilica is a short walk away.

What are the St Francis Church timings?

Listings disagree, so treat the hours as a guide rather than a promise. Kerala Tourism's official page gives these:

Day	Hours (Kerala Tourism listing)
Monday to Friday	9am to 5pm
Saturday	9am to 1pm
Sunday	1pm to 5pm

Sunday mornings are given over to services, with English and Malayalam services listed, and visiting hours start in the afternoon. No entry fee is listed.

The church sits in the middle of Fort Kochi's walkable core, so fold it into a longer morning rather than making a special trip. The Chinese fishing nets are a short stroll away, and our Kochi heritage trail strings it together with the rest of the old town. If the palace is next on your list, read our Mattancherry Palace guide first; it is closed on Fridays.