Where Vasco once lay.......

Instant reaction when told "this is Vasco da Gama's First Grave" ?

 Incredulity , of course. How many times did poor Vasco die and get buried ?

No , that's not it, got it all wrong !  He died only once , but got buried twice. 

That aside..... to the Church now. 

One of the first  buildings the  enterprising Portuguese erected in Kochi, right after the local Raja gave them his benign nod to put up a " fort" for their trading  purposes, was a logwood Church dedicated to  St . Bartholomew . 

That was in 1503. With further privileges granted by the Raja, it was reconstructed in brick and mortar in 1516 and the grand new edifice was dedicated to Santo Antonio, patron saint of Portugal. (  Bye, Bartholomew? ) 

It underwent further name changes as it changed hands among other colonisers.

In the meanwhile, Vasco da Gama touched shore the second time in 1524. And  died. He was laid to rest  in this church with a simple grave stone. But it was not  to be Eternal Rest . He was dug up 14 years later and repatriated to Lisbon, to a permanent resting place.  His Kochi gravestone, ofcourse , dint accompany him . It lies here still, with a signboard marking it . Informative posters are thoughtfully put up close to it , so that the visitor understands why one person has two tombs now.

Tall pillars, wooden rafters , high windows , Colonial time fans ( pankhas) all make the interior very interesting. Ancient gravestones of Portuguese and Dutch adventurers who were buried in the old graveyard by the church, are now embedded on the walls. The church is said to have in its possession an old Dutch Baptism  and Marriage Register, called The Doop Book , with entries between 1751- 1804 . But visitors will be shown only a photocopy.........Not interested in looking at a photocopy , dint request.  

This church , along with another, was spared from destruction by the Dutch, who pulled down all Catholic establishments when they captured Kochi . 

Why ? They needed a place to store arms ! Dear God !

Later, in 1795, when it  passed on to the Anglican Church of the conquering British, it languished in neglect. 

Only in 1886, with the influx of missionaries, it  was renovated. And promptly renamed too. As St.Francis Church, perhaps to honour the Franciscan Friars who first built it. 

A cenotaph honouring local heroes who died in World War 1 , stands in front of the entrance of this  beautiful , gabled  , charming, old worldly church. 

Only one person, a caretaker , was in the Church , reading quietly . He let us potter around , reading the names on the gravestones and admiring the old wooden beams of the ceiling at our own  leisurely pace. But , as soon as we stepped out, the alacrity he showed in locking up the door and speeding away made us feel , perhaps we had delayed his going home ! Poor chap . He had not shown the slightest sign of impatience......some personalities are memorable.