From the archive record
The Santa Cruz Cathedral Basilica in Fort Kochi is one of the eight Basilicas in India. This heritage edifice of Kerala is also one of the finest and imposing churches in India. Located close to the renowned St. Francis Church, this basilica serves as the cathedral church of the Diocese of Cochin, the second oldest Diocese of India. The construction works started when the first Portuguese Viceroy Dom Francisco de Almeida got permission from the Cochin Raja to build a church. The foundation stone was laid on May 3, 1505, the feast day of the 'Invention of the Holy Cross', hence the church was named Santa Cruz. Meanwhile, the church had undergone some serious demolition and re-erection. The present-day structure was consecrated on 19 November 1905. In 1984 Pope John Paul II raised the status