Visiting Churches in India - a tourist's guide

Christianity is India's third-largest religion, with around 28 million followers as of the 2011 census (the next census, originally due in 2021, has been postponed but the Christian community has continued to grow). It is also one of the oldest — local Kerala tradition holds that the apostle Thomas landed at Muziris (modern Kodungallur) on the Malabar coast in 52 CE, founding seven churches that survive in some form today. Later waves came with Portuguese (from 1510 in Goa), Dutch, French and British colonial settlement, and with missionary movements in the northeast.

What this means for visitors is that the Indian church-going landscape is genuinely varied — Latin Catholic basilicas next to Syro-Malabar churches that follow an East-Syriac liturgy, Anglican cathedrals in cantonment towns, French-style basilicas in Pondicherry, and Tibetan-style chapels in Shillong. This page picks out the churches most worth seeing as a tourist, grouped by region.

Goa — the church capital

Goa was the centre of Portuguese power in Asia for over 400 years, and Old Goa (Velha Goa, about 9 km east of Panjim) is one of the most concentrated collections of European-built religious architecture anywhere in Asia. The complex is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Basilica of Bom Jesus, Old Goa

The most-visited church in Goa, completed in 1605. The basilica holds the mortal remains of St Francis Xavier, the Jesuit missionary who brought Catholicism to much of South and East Asia. The body is on display in a silver casket in a side chapel; once every ten years (the next exposition is currently scheduled for 2034–35) it is taken down for public veneration.

Architecture: Portuguese Baroque, brick-and-laterite construction, no plaster on the front facade.
Open daily; modest dress (covered shoulders and knees) requested.
Free entry; small donation accepted.

Sé Cathedral, Old Goa

Across the road from Bom Jesus and the largest church in Asia. Built between 1562 and 1652 for the Portuguese viceroys, dedicated to St Catherine of Alexandria. The five bells include the Golden Bell, one of the largest in the world. The interior has fourteen altars; the Cross of Miracles is the focus of pilgrimage.

Church of St Cajetan, Old Goa

Built between 1655 and 1661 by Italian Theatine friars, modelled on St Peter's Basilica in Rome. Two-aisled with a central nave, a Corinthian-order facade, and a covered well in one corner that local tradition links to a Hindu temple that previously stood on the site.

Church and Convent of St Francis of Assisi

Adjacent to Sé Cathedral; built in 1661 over an earlier Franciscan structure. Now houses an archaeological museum with statues, manuscripts and Portuguese-era paintings.

Other notable Goa churches

Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception, Panjim — the white double-staircase landmark above Panjim's main square; the bell came from the ruined Augustinian monastery in Old Goa.
St Augustine ruins, Old Goa — the towering broken bell-tower of an early-17th-century church, now atmospheric ruins.
Mae de Deus, Saligao — a working neo-Gothic parish church, photogenic at sunset.
Reis Magos — beside the eponymous fort overlooking the Mandovi.
Three Kings Chapel, Cuelim — small hilltop chapel with a famous Epiphany feast in January.

Kerala — St Thomas Christian heritage

Kerala has the deepest Christian roots in India. The Saint Thomas Christians trace their lineage to the apostle's seven churches; today the community is split across the Syro-Malabar Catholic, Syro-Malankara Catholic, Malankara Orthodox Syrian, Jacobite Syrian and Mar Thoma denominations.

St Francis Church, Fort Kochi

Built by the Portuguese in 1503, this is generally considered the oldest European church in India. Vasco da Gama was originally buried here in 1524; his remains were taken back to Lisbon fourteen years later, but the gravestone is still in place. The church changed hands from Portuguese Catholic to Dutch Reformed to Anglican, and is now part of the Church of South India.

Santa Cruz Cathedral Basilica, Fort Kochi

Founded by the Portuguese in 1505, demolished by the British in 1795, rebuilt 1887–1905, raised to the rank of basilica in 1984. The interior frescoes are particularly fine.

St Mary's Forane Church, Pala

A vast Syro-Malabar church in central Kerala, one of the largest Christian congregations in India.

Cathedral of Mar Thoma, Edappally

Foundational Syro-Malabar pilgrimage centre dedicated to St George (Mar Geevarghese); the annual festival in May draws hundreds of thousands.

Malayattoor

The hilltop church of St Thomas Mount, Malayattoor is one of the great pilgrim sites of South India — tradition holds that the apostle prayed here. The Holy Week pilgrimage is the principal annual event.

Other churches worth seeing

St George's Forane Church, Edathua — riverside church on the Pampa, important pilgrimage during the April-May Edathua perunnal.
St Andrew's Forane Basilica, Arthunkal — coastal pilgrimage centre near Cherthala.
Christ Church, Kottayam — founded in 1840, a CMS Anglican landmark.

Tamil Nadu — basilicas and the apostle's tomb

San Thomé Basilica, Chennai

Built by the Portuguese in the 16th century over what tradition holds to be the tomb of the apostle St Thomas, who was martyred at this site near Mylapore around 72 CE. The current neo-Gothic church dates from 1893. The tomb is in a chapel below the main altar; one of only three churches in the world built over the tomb of an apostle of Christ (the others are St Peter's in Rome and Santiago de Compostela in Spain).

Velankanni Basilica (Our Lady of Health)

On the Tamil Nadu coast about 350 km south of Chennai. Often called the "Lourdes of the East"; the annual Marian feast in early September draws hundreds of thousands of pilgrims of all faiths. The image of Our Lady of Health is associated with multiple healing apparitions to local people in the 16th century.

St Mary's Church, Chennai

Inside Fort St George — the oldest Anglican church east of Suez, completed in 1680. Robert Clive was married here, and the wedding registers are still on display.

St George's Cathedral, Chennai

Anglican neo-classical cathedral, completed 1815; seat of the Church of South India's Madras diocese.

Mumbai

Mount Mary Basilica, Bandra

The Mount Mary Bandra Fair in early September is one of Mumbai's biggest pilgrimage events, drawing over a million visitors over a week. The hilltop church houses an image of Our Lady of the Mount and is open to visitors of all faiths.

St Thomas Cathedral, Mumbai

The Anglican cathedral that gives Churchgate railway station its name. Construction began in 1672, opened on Christmas Day 1718, became the seat of the Bombay diocese in 1837.

Afghan Church (St John the Evangelist), Colaba

A neo-Gothic war memorial church in Colaba, built 1847–1858 to commemorate the soldiers of the disastrous First Anglo-Afghan War of 1838–42. Stained glass and a tall spire visible across south Mumbai.

Pondicherry — French Catholic legacy

Pondicherry was a French territory until 1954, and its churches mix French neo-Gothic and Indian elements.

Basilica of the Sacred Heart of Jesus — neo-Gothic in pink-and-white, on the seafront. Eucharistic adoration is continuous; visitors welcome to sit quietly.
Our Lady of Immaculate Conception Cathedral — the seat of the Pondicherry-Cuddalore diocese.
Notre Dame des Anges — small French chapel beside the Promenade.

Kolkata

St Paul's Cathedral — Indo-Gothic Anglican cathedral completed in 1847; one of the largest cathedrals in India.
St John's Church — built 1787 on the site of an even earlier garden church; the Black Hole of Calcutta memorial stands in the churchyard.
Bandel Church (Basilica of the Holy Rosary) — oldest Christian church in West Bengal, founded by the Portuguese in 1599 about 50 km north of Kolkata at Hooghly.

Karnataka

St Philomena's Cathedral, Mysore — completed in 1956 in neo-Gothic style with twin spires 175 feet (53 m) tall; one of the largest churches in India. Modelled in part on Cologne Cathedral. The nave seats around 800. Annual feast on 11 August, the saint's feast day.
St Mary's Basilica, Bengaluru — the oldest church in Bengaluru and a major pilgrimage centre during the September novena.

Northeast India

The northeast was evangelised heavily in the 19th and early 20th centuries; Nagaland, Mizoram and Meghalaya all have Christian-majority populations today.

Cathedral of Mary Help of Christians, Shillong — the seat of the Shillong archdiocese, built in the 1930s on a hillside in pine forest.
All Saints' Cathedral, Shillong — Anglican, late 19th century.
Catholic and Baptist mission churches dot every village across Mizoram and Nagaland.

Hill stations

Christ Church, Shimla — neo-Gothic Anglican landmark on the Mall, second-oldest church in north India (consecrated 1857).
All Saints' Church, Mussoorie — early Victorian-era stone church.
St Andrew's Church, Darjeeling — Scottish Presbyterian, on the ridge above the Mall.
St Thomas's Church, Bhowanipore (Kasauli) and a string of other small cantonment-era churches across the Himalayan hill towns.

Practical tips for visiting churches in India

Dress modestly. Cover shoulders and knees. Indian churches generally welcome non-Christian visitors but expect respectful dress, especially in basilicas, pilgrimage centres and during services.
Respect services in progress. Most churches are happy for tourists to sit quietly at the back during a Mass; flash photography and conversation during the service are not appreciated.
Photography rules vary. Many basilicas allow photography in the nave but not at the altar or near relics. Look for posted signs; if in doubt, ask the verger or a parish staff member.
Feast days. The annual feast (perunnal in Kerala, festa in Goa) of major churches draws huge crowds. Visiting on these days is an experience but expect packed grounds, road closures, and limited car access — plan transport accordingly.
Old Goa is a single tourist circuit. Allow most of a day to see Bom Jesus, Sé, St Cajetan and St Francis on foot. Sundays are busy with locals attending Mass.
Footwear stays on inside Indian churches (unlike temples and mosques), but be prepared to step outside if a service is in progress and you don't intend to take part.
Donations. Most churches do not charge entry but appreciate a donation toward upkeep. A small offering at the donation box is standard practice.
Calendar. Catholic and Orthodox feasts in India follow the standard Roman calendar; the Saint Thomas Christian denominations also celebrate Dukrana (St Thomas's martyrdom) on 3 July as a major feast.