#കേരളചരിത്രം
The Church of
Our Lady of Hope ,
Vypin.
The Vypin Church is one of the earliest ones to be established by the Portuguese in Kerala.
Originally named as “𝑰𝒈𝒓𝒆𝒋𝒂 𝑫𝒂 𝑵𝒐𝒔𝒔𝒂 𝑺𝒆𝒏𝒉𝒐𝒓𝒂 𝒅𝒂 𝑬𝒔𝒑𝒆𝒓𝒂𝒏𝒄̧𝒂”, the existence of a primitive church on the site is referred to in a document from 1560.
From this initial building, located in the area of the current cemetery, only the old bell tower has survived.
Construction of the present church was started in the beginning of the 17th century, and was officially opened in 1605, in the presence of Bishop Andrea de Santa Maria (1588-1610).
The church stands at the centre of a vast yard surrounded by a cemetery, parish house, and chapels. At the axis of the yard in front of the church, a monumental cross was erected, endowing the place with a markedly sacred character, characteristic of the Indo-Portuguese churches of southern India.
Another a particularly interesting detail is the arches of the entrance portal, of Manueline design.
In the 19th century, the church was renovated, significantly altering the original design of the facade, as indicated by the urns and their twisted columns of the neoclassical taste.
The church remains, however, as a unique example of 17th-century Indo-Portuguese architecture. This imposing church was again renovated and completed on 19 November in 2005, as part of its fourth centenary celebrations.
An interesting fact is that during the Dutch occupation (1663-1795), the three altars and screens from the St. Francis church was removed, and shifted to this church. Later the artefacts were shifted to the Indo-Portuguese museum in Fort Cochin.
A photo from 1868.
𝑐𝑜𝑢𝑟𝑡𝑒𝑠𝑦
