The (Latin) diocese of Trivandrum was established by His Holiness Pope Pius XI on July 1, 1937 through the Bull 'In Ora Malabarica'. On 14th June, 1996, a new Archdiocese by name Neyyattinkara was created out of the Archdiocese of Trivandrum by His Holiness Pope John Paul II through the Apostolic Bull 'Ad Aptius Provehendum'. The Archdiocese of Trivandrum now spreads over a total area of 686 sq.kms in the revenue taluks of Chirayinkil, Trivandrum and the earstwhile Padruado region of Neyyattinkara Taluk of the State of Kerala, and a small portion of the thickly populated coastal strip of Kanyakumari district of the State of Tamil Nadu.This diocese was made into an Archdiocese on 17 June 2004 by His Holinesss Pope John Paul II.