Our Lady of Hope Church situated in Vypeen Island and is one of the
ancient Roman Catholic Churches to be found in Kochi. It was
constructed by the Portuguese and this church has a statue of Virgin
Mary, Mother of Jesus Christ holding an anchor.
The
Gothic architectural style makes it look elegant and the interiors are
well maintained too. This church is quite popular and you have people
all across India coming here to pay their respects.
History of Our Lady of Hope Church
With an objective to
spread Christianity missionaries who accompanied Portuguese explorers
arrived in Kochi. They provided help and even looked into the complaints
of the Christians who lived here. Soon they constructed churches along
the coastal area and Church Our Lady of Good Hope was one among them.
This
church came into being in 1605 under the leadership of the Bishop of
Kochi Dom Andrea de Santa Maria. It was rewarded the rank of a Parish
and was named as the Nossa Senhora De Esperanca which means Our Lady of
Hope. Further restorations for the church was carried out and the fourth
centenary was completed in 2005.
Architecture of Our Lady of Hope Church
The beautiful
architecture of the church makes it a very appealing structure of the
city. The ever charming Gothic style gives a rustic touch. It also
features a grotto made of granite which is designed just like a mountain
peak. Below this you can spot the statue of Our Lady of Immaculate
Conception which is as significant as the one placed at Lourdes.
The
shrine is huge and is shaped just a dome and it also features the
wooden cross which is proudly known as Cross of the church. The church
is positioned at the south end of the Vypeen Island and it has an
estimated area of 10Km per square. Being near to the Arabian Sea the
church is a common place for visit and worship by travelers or even
vessels which pass by.
Interiors of Church
The interiors look splendid and has
numerous pictures as well sculptures dating years back. The Lady of Hope
with Jesus in her lap, Our Lady of Fathima, infant Jesus, and Sacred
Heart of Jesus are some of the structures displayed. The three alters of
which one is solely devoted to Christ Crucified while the second
features Virgin Mary.
The third one is the
most important one and it is the sanctum sanctorum. This place has an
arched structure and this is the room for worship. It is located in the
centre and you can notice the floor to be slightly higher as compared to
other areas of the church.
There is an
engraved picture of the Last Supper on side and on the other you can see
the carved image of the risen Christ. As we move past this place, you
can spot the wooden screens which are designed with lot of precision and
detail. There are pictures of flowers, fruits and creepers carved on
top of the screen.
The other highlight of this
place is the statues of St. Peter and of St. Sebastian which are placed
here but are locked. Another recent addition to this place is the teak
wooden rectangular shaped lectern and has different images engraved on
it. Human, eagle, lion and bull are shown and they are adapted from an
open book,Gospel.
Our Lady of Hope Church Timings
Sunday: 6:30am-8:30am Weekdays: 6:30am-5:00pm
How to Reach Our Lady of Hope Church
The Ernakulum
South Junction railway station is located at a distance of 11 km from
the Vypeen Church. Once you exit the station you have to move east on
the TD West Sannidhi Road .Make a left turn at the Sree Mahamaya Temple
and go on to the TD road. Now you will need to enter Vittappa Prabhu Rd
by taking a right turn at Variety Tubes and Malleables.
Make
a left turn and you will reach Mahatma Gandhi Road. Here you will pass
the Chennai Silks and after this make a right turn to move on to
Banerjee road.You need to go on until you reach Palarivattom - Edappally
Rd and take a left turn at Edappally Signal Junction which will lead
you to Edappally-Panvel Highway.
At
Kunnumpuram junction take a left turn and again go the first left onto
the old NH. You need to reach Edappally North Juma Masjid and make a
right turn. Make a left turn,again a left turn and then go for the first
right turn.Once you reach Shivalingadasa Swamy Road make a left turn
and you can spot the church.