The Santa Cruz Cathedral Basilica (also known as കോട്ട പള്ളി / Kotta Palli) at Fort Kochi, Kochi, is one of the nine basilicas in Kerala. Counted as one of the heritage edifices of Kerala, this church is one of the finest and most impressive churches in India and visited by tourists the whole year round. It is a place of devotion as well as a center of historic significance, endowed with architectural and artistic grandeur and colours of the gothic style. The basilica serves as the cathedral church of the Diocese of Cochin. It was built originally by the Portuguese and elevated to a cathedral by Pope Paul IV in 1558, was spared by the Dutch conquerors who destroyed many Catholic buildings. Later the British demolished the structure and commissioned a new building in 1887. Consecrated in 1905, Santa Cruz was proclaimed a basilica by Pope John Paul II in 1984. History Portuguese missionaries and Santa Cruz Church: 1505–1558 The history of Santa Cruz Cathedral Basilica begins with the arrival of Portuguese missionaries along with the second Portuguese fleet under Pedro Álvares Cabral on 24 December 1500. The King Unni Goda Varma Tirumulpadu (Trimumpara Raja) of the Kingdom of Cochin received them very warmly. This caused the Zamorin of Calicut to declare war against the Kingdom of Cochin. However, the Portuguese army under Commander Dom Afonso de Albuquerque, who reached Cochin in 1503, defeated the enemies of the King of Cochin and in return he gave them permission to build a fort in Kochi. In 1505, Dom Francisco de Almeida, the first Portuguese viceroy, received permission from the Kochi raja to build a church edifice using stones and mortar which was unheard of at that time as the local prejudices were against such a structure for any purpose other than a royal palace or a temple. The foundation stone of the Santa Cruz church was laid on 3 May 1505, the feast day of the Invention of the Holy Cross, hence the magnificent edifice when completed was named Santa Cruz. This church was located on the eastern side of the present Children’s Park, Fort Cochin. The basilica hosts the Relic of The Holy Cross of Our Lord Jesus Christ for a long time. This is at the right side of the church. Raising to Cathedral and demolition: 1558–1795 In 1558, Pope Paul IV, raised the Santa Cruz Church to the