The Santa Cruz Cathedral Basilica at Fort Kochi is the cathedral church of the Diocese of Cochin — the second oldest diocese in India. Its foundation stone was laid by the Portuguese on 3 May 1505, the feast day of the Invention of the Holy Cross, giving the church its name.
In 1558 Pope Paul IV raised the church to the status of a cathedral. Restored in 1905 after centuries of upheaval, it was elevated to the dignity of a Minor Basilica by Pope John Paul II during his visit to Kochi in 1984. Today the basilica welcomes pilgrims from across India for its solemn liturgies, painted ceiling, and centuries-old witness to the Catholic faith on the Malabar coast.