Portuguese Chapel — Attraction in Shella ward

The oldest Portuguese chapel in East Africa.

An exerp of an article written by James Wanzala of the Standard. Published: Mar 26th 2015

The little-known Portuguese Chapel, also known as St Francis Xavier Chapel, is located on the seafront about 100 metres from the waterline at Shella area on Mama Ngina Road in Old Town, Malindi.

Clocking 520 years now, the walls have defied time and still stand strong. It is sandwiched between flats near Malindi Law Courts and you can hardly see it. It is thatched with makuti and has a cross on top. It was built by Portuguese explorer Vasco Da Gama in 1498 while passing here on his way to India before St Francis Xavier visited Malindi in 1542.

It is said that St Francis Xavier passed through there with his two sailors who died and were buried at the chapel in 1542.

The chapel, measuring five-by-five metres, has white walls that were made of coral rocks and sand. There is a security ‘window’ in one wall that was allegedly used to see enemies from the ocean.

The church also has an altar with Catholic religious paraphernalia, two chairs and eight wooden benches on a cemented floor. It can accommodate 40 people seated and 50 to 60 standing. It stands on a small plot and hosts 36 graves of sailors and prominent people in the compound.

The graves include those of Malindi pioneer Commander Lawford of Lawford Hotel, first Malindi District Commissioner J. Bell Smith who died on September 1, 1894 and Charles Arnold Frank Matthews, who was buried in 1968. He was the son of Canon Matthew, a pioneer tea grower in Kericho and had gone to Malindi on holiday when he drowned while swimming.

Vasco Da Gama built a nearby pillar and the chapel to prove that he passed there on his way to Goa, India.

The chapel is sometimes used by local Catholic churches for special masses once or twice per month in remembrance of St Francis and sometimes some faithful come here for prayers free of charge.

St Francis died on December 3, 1552 at the age of 46. It was the goal of Xavier to extend his missionary preaching to China, but he died in Shangchuan Island before he could...

The Portuguese Chapel was built in 1952 as the first place of worship in the East Africa located in Malindi town near Vasco Da Gama. It marked the beginning of Portuguese presence in Malindi. The chapel was build in an Islamic dominated town with 17 Mosques at the time as part of the Portuguese factory.

Near the chapel, there are two graves of sailors who died before Saint Francis's voyage to India. These sailors were buried there by Francis himself in 1542. The chapel was abandoned by the Portuguese in November 1698 but was later revived by the British who arrived in 1893. While the Portuguese were successful in trade, they failed to establish a lasting Christian presence in East Africa, gaining only a few converts in Malindi and Mombasa.

The Chapel today is managed by the National Museums of Kenya, serving as a historical monument and a testament to the early Christian presence in the Region.

The entry Charges to the chapel is Ksh 100 which is paid through mobile money on E...

The little-known Portuguese Chapel, also known as St Francis Xavier Chapel, is located on the seafront about 100 meters from the waterline at Shella area on Mama Ngina Road in Old Town, Malindi. Clocking 517 years now, the walls have defied time and still stand strong. It is sandwiched between flats near Malindi Law Courts and you can hardly see it.

It is the first Catholic church in East Africa and was built in a forest to keep it a secret from the Arabs. It was built in the middle of a war between the Arabs who had already established 17 mosques before the Portuguese arrived in the 15th Century. At the time, Christianity hadn't arrived and there were no churches in Malindi at all. Malindi inherently was a Muslim town as Arabs were the first settlers who arrived in the 11th Century. The churches around visit it twice in August and December each year for...