Where is it Situated?

By Air
The nearest Airport CIAL at Nedumbassery is 70 km away.
By Train
The nearest Railway station is Cherthala 22 Km
By Road
The St Andrew's Basilica is located 7 km from Cherthala and 22 km north of Alappuzha

About
St. Andrew's Basilica, Arthunkal is one of the famous pilgrim centres in South India. Though the Church is named after St. Andrew the Apostle, it is the feast of St. Sebastian that has brought fame to Arthunkal. The Christian presence in Arthunkal dates back to a very early period, to 7th Century or earlier. After the arrival of the Portuguese in Kerala Jesuit missionaries turned their attention to Arthunkal. They under¬took missionary work in Arthunkal from 1530 onwards. As there was a ban on Christian conversion till 1560 per mission to put up churches was hard to obtain. When Fr. Gasper Pious s was appointed the first Vicar of Arthunkal he managed to get permission to construct a Church.
In 1581 the King of Cochin, Veera Kerala Varma, gave permission to build a Church in wood. It was the second Vicar, Fr. Giacomo Fenicio S.J. who managed to obtain permission from the King to renovate the wooden church in stone in 1602. He had spent 33 years in Arthunkal in two terms and is rightfully called the Apostle of Arthunkal