Holy Ghost Church

According to the Jesuit mission diary of 1521, Manapad had a beautiful Church built with stones, dedicated to Our Lady of Assumption. In 1695 Dutch mercenaries captured this Church and converted it into their arsenal. Slowly Church got dilapridated. In the Church of Assumption was the tomb of the famous Italian missionary and the tamil scholar Joseph Beschi, popularly known as Veeramamunivar. That tomb also got destroyed together with the Church. The stones were used again to build the new Church, dedicated the Holy Ghost in 1851.

According to the concordat made between Pope Leo XIII and Portugal on 23rd June 1886, Holy Ghost Church of Manapad was attached to the Padroado diocese of Mylapore which was part of the Goa Mission. Rev. Fr. Lawrence Xavier Fernandez was the first priest from this parish and the first priest from the Parathavar Community. He was ordained on 25th November 1894 for the diocese of Mylapore.
According to the new concordat made between Pope Pius XI and Portugal on 29th June 1925, Manapad Holy Ghost parish was attached to the diocese of Thoothukkudi. Rev. Fr. Saminather was the first parish priest after it came Thoothukkudi.

Mr. J.A. Donatus Victoria helped to renovate the Church. In 1913 the towers of the Church were raised to the present height by Rev. Fr. Sebastian Henry De Souza. When 400 years jubilee of the arrival of St. Francis Xavier to Manapad was celebrated (1942), Mr. Donatus Victoria again helped to renovate the whole Church. Bishop Tiburtius Roche blessed it. In 2011, the Church Mandapam was renovated by the diocese.