St. Andrew’s Basilica Church Arthunkal - St. Sebastian's International Shrine

St. Andrews Church in Arthunkal located North of Alleppey town was set up by the Portuguese missionaries in 1581. The church is one of the oldest churches in Kerala. The shrine here is that of St. Sebastian and the church comes under the Latin order. The Church was renovated in 1870 with a new facade and a bell tower. The new Church in granite foundation was laid shortly after 1900, was blessed and opened for visit in 1967. It took 60 years to complete the new Church. There is an ancient tradition followed to this day by the devotees of the Hindu deity, lord Ayyappa, that they pay homage to St. Sebastian when they return from Sabarimala.

The feast of the patron saint is held in the month of January every year which is the annual festival (Arthunkal Perunnal) of this church, which is the crowd puller among the Christains around. A procession with the statue of St. Sebastian is taken to the beach from the church and back again on that time. On the last day of these festivities, the devotees crawl on their knees to the church from the nearby beach. You can also attend one of the early morning masses that take place here. Later, you can go for a walk on the beach and let the sea winds continue stoking the energy that the church instilled.