ST FRANCIS XAVIER CHURCH

Named after the iconic 15th-century Spanish missionary St. Francis Xavier, and a miracle that took place on this spot marked this as one of the holiest places in South India & Sri Lanka for Catholics. This heritage building, one of the most beautiful places to visit in Kanyakumari, was built in the same place where a shrine dedicated to Mother Mary stood. It was renovated in 1865 and in the 1930s, the church’s status was raised to a cathedral.

This has led the cathedral to have a beautiful mix of Gothic, Romanesque, and Indian architecture. It has 12 towers representing the 12 Apostles and church bells that were imported from Italy in 1900 AD. The cathedral has huge statues of St. Francis Xavier and Mother Mary who is dressed in a saree. The stained-glass windows create a beautiful rainbow-like effect inside the charming halls. Every year in December, the feast of Our Lady of Ransom is celebrated with thousands of people attending the flag hoisting, special prayers, and the culmination ceremony that has a golden car procession. Lady of Delight and her spouse St. Joseph are taken in these cars made in 1798 and 1833.

Location: Kottar, Nagercoil, Kanyakumari.