St.Francis Church, Cochin

Fort Cochin is believed to be the oldest European Settlement in India and St. Francis Church was the first European Church to be built in India.

The Church is owned by Church of South India(CSI) and there is regular worship in church on every Sundays.

St. Francis Church was originally named as Santo Antonio. It is the first church to have been built in the new European influenced style and tradition. The original wooden building of 1510 was soon replaced by the present building around 1546.

The church, originally a Catholic Church was taken over by the Dutch after they captured Cochin ( Kochi ) in 1663 and converted into a Protestant Dutch Reformed Church after they captured Cochin ( Kochi ) in 1663.

Web : http://www.geocities.com/athens/acropolis/9669/sfrn.htm