Holy Cross Church, Manapad

A 16th-century coastal church on the cape where St Francis Xavier is said to have lived and prayed in a seaside cave; holds a relic believed to be a fragment of the True Cross.

Holy Cross Church, Manapad, Tiruchendur
Practical guide

Plan Holy Cross Church, Manapad

Who's going?Tailor Holy Cross Church, Manapad to your trip
Before you go to Holy Cross Church, Manapad

Specific rules not verified for this site. Kerala churches generally welcome visitors of any faith outside service times. Dress modestly (shoulders and knees covered), keep quiet during Mass, and ask before photographing people or the altar. We have not verified this church's specific rules.

We report each site's own published rules neutrally, and only where we can source them.

Typechurch
Nearest baseTiruchendur
DistrictThoothukudi
Best timeOctober to March is the cooler, drier…
Time neededAbout an hour
EntryFree
Places to visit6

Holy Cross Church, Manapad is planned from Tiruchendur, one of the travel bases in Thoothukudi district. Use Tiruchendur for stays, food and local transport, then plan this place as a focused stop.

What to expect

Highlights

Getting there

How to visit

  • Base yourself in Tiruchendur or nearby in Thoothukudi, then confirm the last-mile route locally before travel.
  • If access depends on temple, museum or seasonal rules, check on the day before you go.
Timing

Best time

October to March is the cooler, drier season in the Cauvery delta.

Weather in Holy Cross Church, ManapadSeasonal guide

Live forecast loads in your browser.

Today at Holy Cross Church, Manapad
Sunrise6:10 am
Sunset6:27 pm
Golden hour best light5:27 pm–6:27 pm
Blue hour after sunset6:27 pm–6:52 pm
Sun sets toward compass bearingW · 279°
Moon tonight🌖 Waning gibbous · 83%
South-west monsoon. June to September is the south-west monsoon in Tamil Nadu. Expect heavy showers, mostly in bursts rather than all day — carry rain cover, allow extra time for getting around, and note that ferries and open-air sites are the first things affected.

Sun and moon are calculated for this location and shown in IST. Photography windows are the hour around sunrise and sunset; the sunset bearing is degrees clockwise from true north. Moon phase is accurate to about half a day.

Stay · eat · do · rent · see · shop

Stays, food & things to do near Holy Cross Church, Manapad

Verified hotels, homestays, restaurants, experiences, sights, shops and rentals around Holy Cross Church, Manapad — commission-free, with direct contact. Filter by what you need.

Verified inventory is being added here.

Verified places are being added. The category filters will fill in as approved stays, restaurants, experiences, sights, shops and nature listings go live.

List your place
Ranked guides

Top experiences around Tiruchendur

5 more places around Tiruchendur, each worth a day of its own.

templeSubramaniya Swamy Temple, Tiruchendur

15.6 km · ~26 min by cab

One of the six Arupadai Veedu abodes of Lord Murugan, a vast seashore temple on the Gulf of Mannar where Murugan is said to have worshipped Shiva before defeating the asura Surapadman.

templeMutharamman Temple, Kulasekharapatnam

2.5 km · 31 min walk

A coastal Amman temple famed for its 10-day Dasara festival, when devotees dress as gods, goddesses and other figures in elaborate disguise processions after weeks of fasting.

mosqueKayalpatnam Historic Port Town and Mosques

22.2 km · ~37 min by cab

A centuries-old Arab-trade port town of Islamic heritage, home to some of India's oldest mosques rebuilt over successive centuries with pillared prayer halls.

templeAyyanarsunai

15.7 km · ~26 min by cab

A natural spring about 10 km from Tiruchendur where water gushes out to form a narrow stream locally called a 'sunai'. The Arunchunai Kaatha Ayyanar Temple stands on the banks of this spring, giving the place its name. It is a small pilgrimage and picnic spot combining a temple with a perennial natural water source.

beachTiruchendur Beach

15.5 km · ~26 min by cab

A quiet stretch of Bay of Bengal shoreline adjacent to the famous seashore Subramaniya Swamy (Murugan) Temple at Tiruchendur. Pilgrims traditionally bathe in the sea here before worshipping at the temple, giving the beach religious significance. It is generally calmer and less crowded than Tamil Nadu's larger beaches.

Roampedia is commission-free — own or know a stay, eatery, guide or shop near Holy Cross Church, Manapad? List it and it appears here once verified.

Add a nearby business
Before you go

Holy Cross Church, Manapad — at a glance

Timings7:00 AM - 7:00 PM (indicative — confirm on site)
Best timeNov-Feb; avoid rough seas in NE monsoon (Oct-Dec)

Entry: Free (indicative — confirm on site)

Getting here

How to reach Holy Cross Church, Manapad

Nearest railway Tiruchendur ~15 km; taxi/auto from Tiruchendur or Thoothukudi

Getting around Holy Cross Church, Manapad

We have not assessed physical access at this place yet. Across India, step-free routes, handrails and accessible toilets are the exception rather than the rule, and pavements are often interrupted — if step-free access matters to you, contact the site or a local operator before committing to the trip.

If you need help at Holy Cross Church, Manapad
112All emergencies (police · fire · medical)The single number to call in any emergency (ERSS).

Emergency numbers are verified against official government and state tourism sources. 112 works anywhere in India.

Nearby

What’s near Holy Cross Church, Manapad

beachManapad Beach 1.0 km · 12 min walk · straight line
templeMutharamman Temple, Kulasekharapatnam 2.5 km · 31 min walk · straight line
heritageMudalur 10.2 km · ~17 min by cab · straight line
beachTiruchendur Beach 15.5 km · ~26 min by cab · straight line
templeSubramaniya Swamy Temple, Tiruchendur 15.6 km · ~26 min by cab · straight line
templeAyyanarsunai 15.7 km · ~26 min by cab · straight line
templeAzhagiya Koothar Temple, Kattarimangalam 17.9 km · ~30 min by cab · straight line
mosqueKayalpatnam Historic Port Town and Mosques 22.2 km · ~37 min by cab · straight line
churchSt. John's Cathedral, Nazareth 22.2 km · ~37 min by cab · straight line
mosqueKhutba Periya Palli, Kayalpatnam 22.7 km · ~38 min by cab · straight line
templeVaithamanidhi Perumal Temple, Thirukkolur 26.5 km · ~44 min by cab · straight line
templeAdhinathar Temple, Alwarthirunagari 28.2 km · ~47 min by cab · straight line

All 6 places to visit in Tiruchendur →

On the map

Where Holy Cross Church, Manapad is

Good to know

Holy Cross Church, Manapad — frequently asked

When is the best time to visit Holy Cross Church, Manapad?

October to March is the cooler, drier season in the Cauvery delta.

What are the entry fee and timings at Holy Cross Church, Manapad?

Entry: Free (indicative — confirm on site). Timings: 7:00 AM - 7:00 PM (indicative — confirm on site).

How do I reach Holy Cross Church, Manapad?

Base yourself in Tiruchendur or nearby in Thoothukudi, then confirm the last-mile route locally before travel. If access depends on temple, museum or seasonal rules, check on the day before you go.

How much time do I need for Holy Cross Church, Manapad?

About an hour.

What else is near Holy Cross Church, Manapad?

Nearby you can pair Manapad Beach (1.0 km), Mutharamman Temple, Kulasekharapatnam (2.5 km), Mudalur (10.2 km), Tiruchendur Beach (15.5 km).

Read before you go

Holy Cross Church, Manapad guides, stories & itineraries

We have not published a story about Holy Cross Church, Manapad itself yet. These cover Tiruchendur, the town it sits in, and the wider district.

Around Tiruchendur

Holy Cross Church, Manapad sits in Tiruchendur, so these cover the streets, buildings and surroundings around it.

Tamil Nadu-wide guides & itineraries

Route-level itineraries and practical guides for the rest of Tamil Nadu.

See all 9 Thoothukudi guides & stories →

Photographs: Manikandanalex13 (CC BY-SA 3.0), Manojz Kumar (CC BY-SA 4.0), Redmanored (CC BY-SA 4.0). Wikimedia Commons.

Image credits