St Francis Church is located in
Fort Kochi, 10 km from
Ernakulam. It was originally named as Santo Antonio.
Vasco da Gama was buried here in 1524. The church has crypts of Portugese nobles. This was the first church to have been built in the new European influenced style and tradition. The original wooden building of 1510 was replaced by the present building around 1546. Inside the church, various tombstone inscriptions have been placed on the walls. It has a façade with multi curved sides.
There are regular worship meetings in the church every Sunday and commemorative days. The church remains open on week days for visitors and tourists.
