Basilica of Bom Jesus, Goa

To the right of the main altar is the main highlight within the church - the tomb of St Francis Xavier. His body was moved here in 1622 and this marble construction was built in the 1680s. It features four bronze plaques depicting scenes from the saint's life and is surmounted by a cross with two angels.

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The Basilica of Bom Jesus is located in Old Goa, 10 kms from the state capital of Panjim (Panaji). It is a UNESCO World Heritage site. Built in 1695AD, it holds the mortal remains of St. Francis Xavier. This church is the first Minor Basilica in India and is regarded as one of the best examples of baroque architecture here.
The body of Francis Xavier is brought down for Public viewing every 10 years at the Se Cathedral which is just opposite to the church. The last time it was in 2004 and the next would be in 2014. This time, there is a huge line of tourists from all over the world who come to view the mortal remains of the saint who is believed to have miraculous powers of healing.

The interiors of the church as well as the exteriors is very beautiful. There are paintings of scenes from the life of St. Francis Xavier. Inside there is a silver casket on top of the mousolem there is the body of St. Francis Xavier.

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We visited this as part of a one day tour around Goa, I normally do this touristy thing in every new place I go to in order to make up my mind on which part of the place I like best and then go back to the same for longer durations on my own :)
This church was built in 1605, and now declared a World Heritage Monument. The church houses the sacred relics of St. Francis Xavier, patron saint of Goa, who died while on a sea voyage to China on December 2,1552. The following year, while transferring his remains to Goa, in accordance with his wishes, it was found that the saint's body was as fresh as the day it was buried. This miraculous phenomenon continues to attract the devout of all lands and an Exposition or public viewing of his body every ten years attracts lakhs of pilgrims. During the 450 years of Portuguese rule in Goa, St. Francis Xavier was believed to have afforded protection to the rulers who handed over their symbols of office to the saint during every changeover of the office of Governor General. The Saint had miraculous healing powers, which were experienced by the erstwhile Nizam of Hyderabad when he came for the Exposition of 1878.

The Basilica of Bom Jesus is famous throughout the Roman Catholic world. It contains the tomb and remains of St. Francis Xavier who in the 1500s was given the monumental task of spreading Christianity among the people of the Portuguese colonies in the East. His was famous for his journeys and despite travelling through hardship which included rought seas and disease he managed to do to task at hand which is quite remarkable. The remains of the body are housed in a silver casket which used to be covered in jewels. The church was like a pilgrimage site for me because I attended St. Fx university for four years so it was interesting to hear so much about this person and finally see his tomb and church in person.

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Goa's famous and magnificent churches are largely a legacy of Portuguese colonization. Located at Old Goa, 10 kilometres east of Panaji, the Bom Jesus Basilica is a World Heritage Monument.

This magnificent edifice stands as a superb example of Baroque architecture in Goa. The church is called "Bom Jesus" meaning 'good Jesus' or 'infant Jesus' to whom it is dedicated.

The Basilica of Bom Jesus also houses the sacred relics of St. Francis Xavier. St Francis Xavier, patron saint of Goa, died on December 2, 1552, while on a sea voyage to China. Honoring his final wishes, his mortal remains were transferred to Goa in 1553. While transferring his remains, the saint's body was discovered to be as fresh as it had been on the day of the burial.

Opening hours:

Sunday: 10.00 to 18.30 hrs. Weekdays: 09.00 to 18.30 hrs

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This world heritage monument was built in 1695. It contains the mortal remains of St. Francis Xavier; a pupil of the soldier-turned-saint, Ignatius Loyola (the founder of the Order of Jesuits), who died while on a sea voyage to China on December 2nd 1552. The church is located in Old Goa, about 10km from the city of Panjim.
The main altar in the church of Bom Jesus is known for its artistic woodwork in Boroque style. The church itself is a fine example of Jesuit architecture.

Even though we toured the basilica during daylight hours, it was still quite dark inside, which can make it difficult to take pictures (this probably has a welcome effect on the cash flow at the gift shop, where you can purchase books, small statues, religious items and of course: postcards of the interior of the church). However, I wasn't too bothered by this obvious "tourist-trap" and happily purchased some postcards which were cheap (between 2 - 5 Rupees).

This church is one of the richest in Goa, with marble flooring, precious stones & grand golden framed paintings. Apart from the elaborate gilded altars, the interior of the church is otherwise quite simple & basic.

Even if you're not interested in historic sight-seeing, I do recommend dragging yourself away from the beaches for a day & taking a tour around Old Goa.
We found a super taxi driver who showed us 4 different Hindu temples, 1 Buddhist temple and both the famous churches all in 1 day!

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Most well known fact about this church is that is houses the remains of St. Francis Xavier, founder of the Jesuit Order and Patron saint of Goa. This is the only church in Old Goa without a plaster finish. Apparently a zealous Portuguese conservationist stripped off the plaster in 1950 believing that the church would be strengthened if exposed to the elements. Despite convincing evidence of the contrary-no one has gotten around to fixing it.

The cathedral was finished in 1605, just 11 years of building. The front facade has many different architectural styles in its columns and the inscription "IHS". The layout is standard and the reredo's behind the altar quite nice. Just to the right of the altar is the remains of St. Francis Xavier. They bring out the remains for public display about every 10 years. Lately, they have been rethinking this as the minute exposure is beginning to make the remains, which have remained in tact up to now, deterioriate.

The remains are held in quite an ornate catafalque made of marble, jasper, and silver.
The House of the Jesuits is next door to the basilica and is the place where the Jesuit missions to the east began.

The renaissance facade of what is probably the most famous church in Goa reflect the baroque architecture of Europe. There are a couple of gilded altars and a wooden pulpit inside but the thing everyone comes to see here are the remains of St Francis Xavier who died more than 400 years ago and which are displayed in a sealed glass coffin.