The Santa Cruz Basilica is one of the eight basilicas in India. As a token of gratitude for the help in defeating the Zamorins of Calicut, the king of Cochin gave the Portuguese permission to set up a fort and then the church.

The Basilica has magnificent Indo-European and Gothic architecture. The charm of the monument owes a lot to its pastel-coloured interior, adorned with paintings of Italian painter Brother Antonio Moscheni and his disciple De Gama of Bangalore. Moscheni has created breathtakingly beautiful paintings on the theme, ‘The Passion and death on the Cross’ in the altar of the Basilica. His imitation of Da Vinci’s ‘The Last Supper’ is a remarkable sight.