Hospet Church
Encyclopedia
The Church of Holy Cross of Hospet in South Canara
South Canara
South Canara was a district under the British empire, located at . It was bifurcated in 1859 from Canara district. It was the undivided Dakshina Kannada district...

, is one of the ancient church in the Mangalore Diocese of India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...

. Being situated in Hosabettu
Hosabettu
Hosabettu is a census town in Dakshina Kannada District in the Indian state of Karnataka. It is located near Moodbidri coming within limits Karnataka state.-Demographics:...

, it is also known as Hosabettu Church. This was the only church that escaped the drive for the demolition of churches by Tippu Sultan during early 1790.

History

This church existed well before 17 century. According to official documents available to Mangalore
Mangalore
Mangalore is the chief port city of the Indian state of Karnataka. It is located about west of the state capital, Bangalore. Mangalore lies between the Arabian Sea and the Western Ghat mountain ranges, and is the administrative headquarters of the Dakshina Kannada district in south western...

 Diocese claims that this church was established on 1761. Hospet was under the rule of Jain kings for many centuries. Some documents in the ancient Jain literature shows existence of this church even before 1648. At the time of the general demolition of churches by Tippu Sultan, this was the only church that escaped destruction owing to the friendly offices of the Chauta Raja of Moodbidri.

Church of the Holy Cross, formerly known as Bidrem Church. The name Hospet came after the death of Tippu Sultan (1799). The old church was repaired by Fr Jerome Paul Carvalho in 1865. Under the jurisdiction of Goa
Goa
Goa , a former Portuguese colony, is India's smallest state by area and the fourth smallest by population. Located in South West India in the region known as the Konkan, it is bounded by the state of Maharashtra to the north, and by Karnataka to the east and south, while the Arabian Sea forms its...

, 11 vicars had served this church. Fr Jacob Sequeira (1901–1904) was the first diocesan vicar and he was succeeded by Fr Cajetan M. Pereira. The foundation stone for the present church, designed by Fr A. Diamanti sj, was laid on October 1, 1905 by V. Rev. Frachetti sj, the Vicar General. Fr Cajetan M. Pereira (1904–1907) began the construction of the church and Fr Rosario P.B. Lewis (1908–1919) completed it and it was blessed on February 7, 1909 by Bishop A. Cavadini sj. This church is one of the first in the diocese built in Cruciform and gothic
Gothic Revival architecture
The Gothic Revival is an architectural movement that began in the 1740s in England...

 in style.

The earlier presbytery was built in 1854. Moodbidri, Shirthady, Ferar, Paladka and Taccode parishes are carved out of this parish. The present presbytery was built by Fr Cyprian Coelho in 2000. There are 9 wards in Hospet parish. Around 285 catholic families are living in this parish and total Catholic population is at around 1500. Currently around 40 % of populations have migrated to the city of Mumbai
Mumbai
Mumbai , formerly known as Bombay in English, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India, and the fourth most populous city in the world, with a total metropolitan area population of approximately 20.5 million...

and Middle East counties.

Fr Asissi Rebello is the 21St diocesan vicar of the parish.
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