St Andrew’s Basilica, Arthunkal

Established in 1581 with a modest structure of wood and coconut palm leaves, the St Andrew’s Basilica, or Arthunkal church, has grown to great heights. It is considered the largest shrine of St Sebastian in the world. Although named after St Andrew the Apostle, it is the feast of St Sebastian, conducted at the basilica in January each year, that has brought it renown. Today it is a pilgrim centre for innumerable devotees from across Kerala and other parts of India.

History

Its story begins in 1581 when Veera Kerala Varma, the ruler of Cochin, gave permission to build a church in wood. It was, however, Fr Giacomo Fenicio, an Italian Jesuit, who in 1584 obtained permission from the King to construct a new church made of lime and stone. To Fr Giacomo Fenicio goes the credit for having constructed the church twice; on his transfer back to Arthunkal in 1619, Fr Fenicio proceeded to rebuild the church. For the pious and saintly life he led, Fr Giacomo Fenicio was lovingly referred to as ‘Veluthachan’, or ‘the white priest’.

St Sebastian

Arthunkal rose to fame when in 1647 the miraculous statue of St Sebastian, sculpted in Milan, was brought to Arthunkal from Italy in a ship. St Sebastian, who was the captain of the bodyguards of the Roman Emperor Diocletian, was brutally put to death in 286 AD. The emperor ordered the execution as he could not accept St Sebastian’s faith in Christ. People from all faiths who were afflicted by illness prayed to St Sebastian and were cured. Gradually, the Arthunkal church began to attract thousands of people of all creeds.

A Saint Ordained Here

In the 18th century, control of the church passed into the hands of the Carmelite missionaries from the Jesuits. It was during the Carmelite period that Kuriakose Elias Chavara was ordained in this church on 29 November 1829 by Mauralius Stablini, the Archbishop of Verapoly. Kuriakose Elias Chavara, who belonged to the Syro-Malabar Catholic Church, went on to become the first canonised male saint of Indian origin.

Pilgrimage

Considering the antiquity and the fame of the church, St Andrew’s Church was elevated to the status of a basilica on 21 May 2010.