Although most of the earliest Roman Catholic Churches have been
relocated and inevitably the architecture modified there is still
clear evidence in many of the existing churches, of strong
Portuguese influence in both the art and the architecture of the
region. The Indo - Portuguese Christian Art heritage, which survives
today, can be attributed to continuity of cultural practices, both
ecclesiastical and social, with the people of Cochin maintaining a
strong cultural affinity with the Portuguese roots of their Catholic
faith.