Christianity in Kanyakumari district
Christianity in Kanyakumari district is its second largest religion. The Catholic Church has about 500,000 followers, while the Protestant groups have about 400,000 members.
Christianity is said to date back to the 1st century CE. According to the tradition, St. Thomas, one of the twelve apostles, landed on the Malabar Coast (Kerala) in 52 CE and introduced Christianity. It is believed he built St. Mary's Church in Thiruvithamcode in 63 CE. During the colonial period Italian, British, Dutch and Portuguese Christians came to Tamil Nadu.
| Year | Christian population | Total population | Percentage |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 367,808 | 996,915 | 36.89% |
| 1971 | 475,572 | 1,222,549 | 38.90% |
| 1981 | 551,908 | 1,423,399 | 38.77% |
| 1991 | 677,676 | 1,600,349 | 42.35% |
| 2001 | 745,406 | 1,676,034 | 44.47% |
| 2011 | 876,299 | 1,870,374 | 46.85% |
In 1961, Christians comprised nearly 37% of the population. In 2011, the Christian population of Kanyakumari is nearly 47% of the population.