Waaaay back in March we were in Kerala, remember? In the words of Ricky Ricardo, I have some splainin' to do. You might remember that we arrived in the paradise of Cochin, saw the famous Chinese-style fishing nets, and saw a Kathakali demonstration. The next day we explored Cochin, starting with St. Francis Church, the oldest European-built church in India and the first burial place of Vasco da Gama.
Doesn't it just look the part?
The church has a fascinating history, which I'll let you read the details of here. I'll just mention that it was built in 1516 to replace the Portuguese explorers' wooden church (built in 1503) and that Vasco da Gama was buried there after his death in 1524. His remains only stayed in Cochin for 14 years, though, because the Portuguese shipped him back home for reburial.
The present church is still filled with ancient tombs and inscriptions, like the one Samuel chose for a resting spot in this photo. (Poor Samuel had a difficult day. The elastic in his shorts was shot, and I didn't realize it until we were out and about. He was holding his pants up all day, the poor neglected child.)
Since it's still a functioning house of worship, the church is also filled with more recent oddities ...
My kids found the name "Bunny D'Cruz" hilarious and still bring it up often. "Mom, remember that Bible that said Bunny D'Cruz? Ha ha ha ha!" Yes. We are easily amused around here.
The long history of the church gives it a cool mixture of design. There are wood and wicker pews ...
... old and new tiling ...
... ornately carved podiums ...
... and, of course, the ancient stone.
I like this picture of curious Johnny, taken through one of the podiums.
One of the highlights, of course, is Vasco da Gama's burial spot, which is still marked with his original grave stone.
Indians aren't particularly fond of Vasco da Gama, since he brought European colonialism to the subcontinent, but we're glad our fantastic driver Kareem mentioned this church. It would have been a shame to miss it.
Doesn't it just look the part?
The church has a fascinating history, which I'll let you read the details of here. I'll just mention that it was built in 1516 to replace the Portuguese explorers' wooden church (built in 1503) and that Vasco da Gama was buried there after his death in 1524. His remains only stayed in Cochin for 14 years, though, because the Portuguese shipped him back home for reburial.
The present church is still filled with ancient tombs and inscriptions, like the one Samuel chose for a resting spot in this photo. (Poor Samuel had a difficult day. The elastic in his shorts was shot, and I didn't realize it until we were out and about. He was holding his pants up all day, the poor neglected child.)
Since it's still a functioning house of worship, the church is also filled with more recent oddities ...
My kids found the name "Bunny D'Cruz" hilarious and still bring it up often. "Mom, remember that Bible that said Bunny D'Cruz? Ha ha ha ha!" Yes. We are easily amused around here.
The long history of the church gives it a cool mixture of design. There are wood and wicker pews ...
... old and new tiling ...
... ornately carved podiums ...
... and, of course, the ancient stone.
I like this picture of curious Johnny, taken through one of the podiums.
One of the highlights, of course, is Vasco da Gama's burial spot, which is still marked with his original grave stone.
Indians aren't particularly fond of Vasco da Gama, since he brought European colonialism to the subcontinent, but we're glad our fantastic driver Kareem mentioned this church. It would have been a shame to miss it.
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