St. Antony's Forane Church, Kannamaly

St. Antony's Forane Church, known as Kannamaly Pally, stands in Kannamaly, a coastal suburb of Kochi near Chellanam, on a narrow strip between the Arabian Sea and the Kannamaly backwaters. Its first chapel, built in 1745 some 2.5 km to the west, was lost to the sea, and the present church, the third on this site, was dedicated in 1942. With a tall white facade and sea-blue window frames, its design was inspired by Rome's basilica of St Paul Outside the Walls, and inside are colourful stained-glass windows.

Its fame rests on the adjoining St. Joseph's Miraculous Shrine. Tradition holds that in 1905, after a disaster on the coast was followed by cholera, the parish priest had a vision of St Joseph and shared a blessed meal that is believed to have cured those who ate it. Ever since, the feast on 19 March has been marked with the Nercha Sadhya, a votive meal cooked overnight and served for up to 12 hours to an estimated 100,000 to 250,000 people.