Churches in India

Christianity in India: Background

Christian tradition in India is often dated to the arrival of the apostle Thomas on the Malabar coast of Kerala in 52 CE, giving rise to the Saint Thomas Christian (Nasrani) community; the historicity of this earliest period rests on tradition and later hagiography rather than contemporary documentation, though an established Christian presence in Kerala is independently attested by the early medieval period through trade links with West Asian Christian communities. India's surviving church architecture, however, is dominated by two much later waves: Portuguese Catholic colonization beginning with Vasco da Gama's arrival in Kerala in 1498 and Portugal's establishment of Goa as a colonial capital from 1510, and British colonial-era Protestant and Catholic church-building from the 18th through early 20th centuries, alongside French Catholic institutions centered on Pondicherry. Church styles in India accordingly range from Portuguese Baroque and Manueline forms in Goa and Kerala to Gothic Revival and neoclassical churches built under British rule, some later structures incorporating Dravidian or other regional decorative elements.

Notable Historic Churches

Basilica of Bom Jesus, Goa

Consecrated in 1605 in Old Goa, the Basilica of Bom Jesus is built in Baroque style and holds the remains of the Jesuit missionary Francis Xavier, who died in 1552; his body, reported to have remained largely uncorrupted, was brought to Goa some years after his death. The relics are placed on public exposition roughly once a decade, most recently in 2014–15, drawing large crowds. The basilica is part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site "Churches and Convents of Goa," inscribed in 1986.

San Thome Basilica, Chennai

Built over the traditional tomb of the apostle Thomas in the Mylapore area of Chennai, the present neo-Gothic cathedral was constructed by the British in 1893 on the site of earlier Portuguese-era churches dating to the 16th century. It is counted among a small number of churches worldwide said to stand directly over an apostle's tomb, alongside St. Peter's Basilica in Rome and Santiago de Compostela in Spain.

Basilica of Our Lady of Good Health, Velankanni

On the Tamil Nadu coast in Nagapattinam district, this Marian shrine grew from local apparition traditions and a Portuguese sailors' vow of thanksgiving after a storm at sea, both traditionally dated to the 16th–17th centuries. It draws large annual crowds, particularly during its September festival, from Christian, Hindu, and Muslim visitors alike, and combines Gothic structural elements with Dravidian decorative detailing.

Sé Cathedral, Goa

Commissioned after the Portuguese seizure of Goa from the Bijapur Sultanate in 1510 — a victory attributed by the Portuguese to St. Catherine of Alexandria, as it fell on her feast day — the Sé Cathedral, dedicated to Catherine, was built mainly between 1562 and 1619 and ranks among the largest churches in Asia. It houses a large bell known locally as the "Golden Bell," noted for its tone.

St. Mary's Basilica, Bangalore

Founded in the Shivajinagar area of Bangalore in the second half of the 19th century and elevated to minor basilica status in 1973 — the first church in Karnataka to receive that rank — St. Mary's holds an annual September feast in honor of the Virgin Mary that draws large crowds across religious lines.

Mount Mary Church, Mumbai

Set on a hill in Bandra, Mumbai, the Basilica of Our Lady of the Mount traces its origins to a Portuguese-era chapel and was rebuilt in its present Gothic form in the early 20th century. Its annual Bandra Fair (Mount Mary Fair) in September is among Mumbai's largest religious festivals and attracts devotees across faiths.

St. Paul's Cathedral, Kolkata

Completed in 1847, St. Paul's is a Gothic Revival Anglican cathedral and, at the time of construction, one of the largest cathedrals in Asia. Its stained glass includes windows by the English designer Edward Burne-Jones, and its tower has required rebuilding after earthquake damage in 1897 and 1934.

St. George's Cathedral, Chennai

Consecrated in 1815, St. George's is an Anglican cathedral in neoclassical style whose tall steeple was, for decades, among the tallest structures in colonial Madras. It served as the principal Anglican cathedral for the city.

St. Francis Church, Kochi

Built originally in 1503 by Portuguese Franciscan friars and rebuilt in stone in the mid-16th century, St. Francis Church is among the oldest European-built churches surviving in India. The explorer Vasco da Gama, who died in Kochi in 1524, was initially buried here; his remains were exhumed and taken to Lisbon in 1539. The church later passed to Dutch Protestant and then Anglican control, and belongs today to the Church of South India.

Sacred Heart Cathedral, Delhi

Completed in 1935 in a style drawing on Renaissance church architecture, Sacred Heart Cathedral is the principal Catholic cathedral of Delhi and one of the largest Christian churches in North India, built in the same period as the construction of New Delhi's government buildings.