Holy cross of kochi, India

The city of Kochi is located on the Malabar Coast in southwestern India, in what is now the state of Kerala. It is a populous region with a centuries-old history of trade, where cultures intersected, and where the first Westerners arrived in the early 16th century.

Kochi before the Portuguese

At the time of the Portuguese arrival, there were several kingdoms, most notably the Kingdom of Kochi. Most of them were subject to the powerful Zamorin of Calicut.

The spice trade, largely in the hands of Muslims, was differentiated by port. In the case of Kochi, pepper was traded particularly heavily.

The population was mostly Hindu, and included, in addition to the Muslim traders who frequented the port, a community of Christians of Saint Thomas and a group of Jews.

The arrival of the Portuguese in Kochi

On December 24, 1500, the armada of Pedro Álvares Cabral (c. 1468 - c. 1520) docked at the port of Kochi. The fleet had departed Lisbon on March 9 of that year, heading for India, following Vasco da Gama's first voyage. The great armada had discovered Brazil on April 22 and continued its route to the East, as instructed by King Manuel I (1469-1521). It docked first in Calicut, but, not having been successful, it headed south.

The Portuguese armada was warmly welcomed by the King of Kochi Unni Goda Varma († 1510), eager to free himself from the tutelage of the Samorim of Calicut and realizing the potential of contact with these foreigners from so far away. He authorized the Portuguese to settle on the other side of the river and open a trading post – the first so-called feitoria.

Pedro Álvares Cabral's fleet departed from Kochi in mid-January 1501, leaving behind a small group of Portuguese, including the factor Gonçalo Gil Barbosa († 1509), his nephew Duarte Barbosa († 1521), a group of five Franciscans, and the others necessary for the maintenance and trade of the trading post.

The king authorized the construction of some buildings, in addition to the trading post warehouses, including the Oratory of Saint Bartholomew.

In April 1503, the forces of the Samorim of Calicut attacked Kochi, occupying and burning the town, and forcing the population, including the rajah, to retreat to the island of Vaipim. In September of that year (1503), the Armada of Afonso de Albuquerque (c. 1460-1515) arrived in Kochi and retook the town. In addition to cousins ​​Francisco and Afonso de Albuquerque, the valiant Duarte Pacheco Pereira also participated in the famous defence of Kochi.

Gonçalo Gil Barbosa

Gonçalo Gil Barbosa († 1509) was the first factor of Kochi. Born in Santarém, in (c.) 1480, he married D. Mécia Mendes de Aguiar (c. 1466-c.1532) – daughter of Pedro Rodrigues Portocarreiro, a family with ancient roots in Portugal.

He embarked on Pedro Álvares Cabral's fleet in 1500, already a father of four, as clerk of the trading post that was intended to be founded in Calicut.

Gonçalo Gil Barbosa was most likely a witness to the discovery of the lands of Vera Cruz on April 22. Upon arrival in Calicut, he participated in negotiations with the Samorim with a view to establishing a trading post, which culminated in the death of Aires Correia (appointed as factor) and Pêro Vaz de Caminha, author of the historic Charter of the Discovery of Brazil.

When the armada arrived in Kochi, he was sent ashore to begin negotiations – in this case, successful ones – with the King. He was chosen as the overseer of the first Portuguese trading post in the East, which played such a significant job in the region's development. He held the position for two years, playing a notable role in establishing the first Portuguese community in the East and in fostering relations with local communities. It was in Kochi that he likely began mastering the Malayalam language.

In 1502, he received a delegation of Christians of Saint Thomas, in what was the first contact between the Portuguese and the high dignitaries of this community. That same year, he was transferred to Cananor, as responsible for its trading post, due to the numerous and valuable contacts with local authorities.

He returned to Portugal in 1506, possessing a large fortune acquired in the lands of the East, settling in Santarém.

He received the Commandery of the Order of Christ, establishing the majorat (morgado) of Santarém in 1507. That same year, he was awarded the distinction of Knight and Nobleman of the Royal Household for his valuable services to the Crown in distant Malabar.

He died in July 1509 and was buried first in the church of Saint Mary of Marvila in Santarém. His wife, D. Mécia Mendes de Aguiar, after establishing, in 1531, the Chapel of Jesus in the Monastery of Saint Augustin of Santarém, had a notable tomb built there, to where, according to the inscription, the remains of her father (Pero Portocarreiro) and her husband (Gonçalo Gil Barbosa) were transferred.

D. Mécia's connection with the Monastery of Saint Augustin, where one of her sons – Brother Gil Barbosa – had probably entered, was also manifested in the requests regarding her burial ceremony, which included: the desire for it to be done in Indian clothing; the donation of precious objects to the Augustinian monastery; the binding of the administrator of the morgado to the obligation of the payment of 9,400 reais to the Augustinian monastery.

The tomb of Gonçalo Gil Barbosa in the church of Graça in Santarém is, according to some historians, the most relevant example of armorial bearings of Renaissance art in Santarém.

Holy Cross of Kochi

Construction of the first church in Kochi began shortly after Pedro Álvares Cabral's arrival, on December 26, 1500. The church was initially dedicated to Saint Bartholomew. It was located on the perimeter of the small wooden fortification that had been constructed in the meantime – stone construction, according to local custom, was intended for Hindu temples and royal buildings.

In 1503, it was likely destroyed during an attack by the Samorim of Calicut on the settlement. With the arrival of the fleets of Francisco and Afonso de Albuquerque in September of that year, and the stabilization of the region, it was rebuilt. The historical foundation of the fortress, where the temple stood, is described in Gaspar Correia's Legends of India: on September 27, 1503, the King of Kochi "came by the river with the Captains ... and, with everyone talking, showed the place where it should be built, which was the tip of a palm grove of marshy land, which the estuary surrounded by seawater, which became like an island. Where the Captain-major [Francisco de Albuquerque] immediately took a hoe and dug, saying: ‘In the name and praise of the faith of Christ, for digging uncovered the Holy True Cross, which Our Lord wished to show to Holy Helen?" (1).

In 1505, the 1st Viceroy of India Francisco de Almeida (c. 1450-1510) asked the King of Kochi for permission to build several stone buildings, namely the church.

In 1506, the construction of the church began. “The next morning, the Viceroy went to the Church with everyone and heard the Mass of the True Cross, with a sermon, in which everyone was advised to ask Our Lord, that by his kindness he would receive as for the good of his holy service the work that was to be done, as it was the day on which He was pleased to show the Holy Queen Elena the Holy True Cross, which was on three days in May” (2).

In that year (1506), the Hospital of the Holy Cross began, probably the first charitable work in India. The village took the name Holy Cross of Kochi. By 1511, the church was already serving the Christian community, possessing a long list of objects and vestments for worship.

Later, King Manuel I commissioned a larger church, “because that one was too small”, more in keeping with the development of Kochi, the main port on the Malabar Coast. The second Viceroy of India Afonso de Albuquerque began construction of the new church in 1514, with three naves, vaulted chapels, a choir above the entrance, and a bell tower in the center of the façade. However, there are reports that it still lacked a suitable altarpiece in 1518, according to a request made by the vicar-general of Kochi Father Sebastião Pires. In 1522, he reported to King Manuel I the desolate state of the church.

In 1546, King John III (1502-1557) expressly ordered the works to be completed “without regard to cost, and this by the hands and designs of the best architects and officials” (3). For this purpose, he sent the chancel arch, carved in Lisbon, as well as the arcades that separated the naves.

In 1558, with the creation of the Diocese of Kochi, the Holy Cross Parish Church was elevated to Cathedral by Pope Paul IV (1476-1559).

The capture of Kochi by the Dutch in 1663 had a devastating effect on the region. All the churches were destroyed, except for the Church of St. Anthony and the Church of Holy Cross, which was turned into a weapons depot.

During the British attack on Kochi in 1795, much of the old church of Holy Cross was destroyed, except for the tower, still visible in 1904, which was later destroyed.

In 1890, British officer J.E. Winckler re-erected two pillars of the old cathedral, recovered from a submerged area next to the old fort, as a memory of the great Kochi fire of January 4, 1889. Currently, one of the pillars is near the Bastion Bungalow; the other on the outer perimeter of the present Basilica of the Holy Cross.

In 2021, as part of the Kochi Water Metro's implementation, two large pillar bases were discovered. Em 2025, researcher Ratheesh Kumar of the Department of Marine Geology and Geophysics at the School of Marine Sciences, Kochi University of Science and Technology, concluded, based on their Manueline features and the similarity to the remaining pillars, that they were remnants of the historic 16^th-century Cathedral of the Holy Cross.

The Basilica of Holy Cross in Kochi

In 1887, bishop of Kochi João Gomes Ferreira (1851-1897) decided to rebuild the cathedral in another location. Construction was completed during the bishopric of bishop Mateus de Oliveira Xavier (1858-1929), with donations from the local community and the Archdiocese of Goa. The new temple was consecrated on November 19, 1905, by Bishop of Daman Sebastião José Pereira (1857-1925).

In the mid-20^th century, a small sanctuary with a statue of Our Lady of Fatima was built next to the temple, following the visit of the pilgrim statue to the lands of the East, which arrived in Kochi on December 30, 1949.

In 1984, Pope John Paul II (1920-2005) elevated the Cathedral of Holy Cross to the statute of a Basilica by a special Apostolic letter TEMPLUM S. CRUCIS IN COCCINENSI DIOECESI AD DIGNITATEM BASILICAE MINORIS EVEHITUR.

In the current Basilica, one of the granite pillars of the original cathedral is on display, a landmark in the centuries-old history of Holy Cross of Kochi.

The invocation of the Holy Cross is celebrated in the liturgical calendar on May 3, the feast of the Invention of the Holy Cross – celebrating the discovery of the wood of the Cross by Saint Helena (c. 330) – and on September 14, the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross.

Both commemorations hold unique significance in Kochi. In September 1503, the town was rebuilt after the historic liberation from the attack of the Samorim of Calicut. On May 3, 1506, according to Gaspar Correia's account, the region's first stone church was founded.

The Diocese of Kochi

The Diocese of Kochi was created by Pope Paul IV on February 4, 1557:  “With the said authority, we elevate and establish the town of Kochi into a city and the parish church of Holy Cross in the same town … into a cathedral church.” It was one of the first dioceses in India, with its seat in the church of Holy Cross, covering a large territory from Cannanore to Cape Comorin and Ceylon, extending along the east coast of the Peninsula to the north, and including Burma. Its area gradually shrank as the Christian communities in the region developed.

In 1663, with the capture of Kochi by the Dutch, the city was destroyed: the clergy were expelled, the monasteries and colleges, the bishop's palace, the two hospitals, and thirteen churches and chapels were razed. All Catholic missionaries were expelled from the Dutch-occupied territories.

The administration of the diocese proved particularly difficult during Dutch rule. In the British conquest of 1795, the situation eased, but the diocese was ultimately suppressed on April 24, 1838, with most of its territory being handed over to the Vicariate of Verapoly.

On September 1, 1886, Pope Leo XIII (1810-1903) promulgated the Apostolic Letter Humanae Salutis Auctor, restoring the ancient Diocese of Kochi. Bishop João Gomes Ferreira was appointed Bishop of Kochi, with notable work in rebuilding and re-Christianizing the entire diocese.

It was during the bishopric of Bishop José Vieira Alvernaz (1942-1951) – the last Portuguese bishop – that the diocese received the pilgrim statue of Our Lady of Fátima, on its historic travelling throughout the East in 1949, which had particular repercussions in the diocese of Kochi.

In 1992, Bishop of Kochi Joseph Kureethara (1929-1999) established the Indo-Portuguese Museum with the sponsorship of the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, a valuable testament to the resilience of Christian communities. It houses several pieces from the former Cathedral of Holy Cross. Portugal honoured Bishop Kureethara by naming one of the capital's streets after him in 2001.

Kochi is considered the birthplace of Catholicism in India, with the long tradition of the St. Thomas Christian communities and the apostolic work initiated by the Portuguese, which spread throughout the East.

In Kochi, a community of Portuguese-Indian families developed and persisted over the centuries, with names of Portuguese origin being common. Kochi also maintained the Indo-Portuguese Creole, still spoken in the region until recently, formed from contact between Portuguese and Malayalam, and particularly associated with Christian communities.

1. CORREIA, Gaspar, Lendas da Índia, Lisboa, Tipografia da Academia Real das Ciências, 1858, Livro Primeiro, Tomo 1, p. 385.
2. Idem, Livro Primeiro, Tomo I, Parte II, p. 640.
3. REGO, António da Silva,  Documentação Para a História das Missões do Padroado Português do Oriente, 3º Volume (1543- 1547), Ed. Agência Geral das Colónias, Lisboa, 1950, p. 321.
4. Arquivo Nacional Torre do Tombo, Lisboa, Bulas, maço 7, doc. 37. https://www.uc.pt/fluc/religionAJE/fontes/docs/Bula_Cochim_traduzida.pdf pp. 3-4. (consultado 26 Setembro 2025).

REFERENCES

• Revista Oceanos nº 19/20, Indo-portuguesmente, Comissão Nacional para as Comemorações dos Descobrimentos Portugueses, 1994.
• DIAS, Pedro, História da Arte Portuguesa no Mundo (1415-1822), O Espaço do Índico. s.l. Círculo dos Leitores, 1999.
• COSTA, João Paulo Oliveira e (Coord.), Descobridores do Brasil, Exploradores do Atlântico e Construtores do Estado da Índia, Sociedade Histórica da Independência de Portugal, Lisboa, 2000.
• TAVIM, José Alberto Rodrigues da Silva, A cidade portuguesa de Santa Cruz de Cochim ou Cochim de Baixo. Algumas Perspectivas, in Aquém e Além da Taprobana. Estudos Luso-Orientais à memória de Jean Aubin e Denys Lombard, Lisboa, CHAM, 2002, pp. 136-189;
• MATTOSO, José (Dir.), Património de Origem Portuguesa no Mundo, arquitectura e urbanismo: Ásia, Oceania. Lisboa, Fundação Calouste Gulbenkian, 2010.
• DOMINGUES, Vera Mónica Gaspar, Cultura E Património Urbanísticos De Influência Portuguesa Na Ásia, 1503-1663, tese de doutoramento, Universidade de Coimbra, Coimbra, 2017.
• RATHEESHKUMAR, R. T. , UTHARA , B. ,  DUNIYA RAJ, V. S.,  DEVATI, B., AKSHAY , P. B. , Geological and Cultural Heritage of Lithic Artefacts Unearthed from Fort Kochi, Southern India, Geoheritage, 15 Janeiro 2025.

PHOTOGRAPHY

• Samuel Pulickal Joseph