Old Church in Goa

SE CATHEDRAL: - The Portuguese Viceroy Redondo commissioned the Se, or St. Catherine's' Cathedral, southwest of St. Cajetan's, to be "a grandiose church worthy of the wealth, power and fame of the Portuguese who dominated the seas from the Atlantic to the Pacific". Today it stands larger than any church in Portugal, although it was beset by problems, not least a lack of funds and Portugal's temporary loss of independence to Spain. It took eighty years to build and was not consecrated until 1640.


CHURCH OF ST. FRANCIS ASSISI: -To the west of the Se Cathedral is the former palace of the Archbishop that connects the Se Cathedral to the Convent and Church of St. Francis of Assisi. The structure is built of laterite blocks and is lime-plastered. The church faces west and has a nave with three chapels on side, a choir, two altars in the transept and a main altar. To the north of the main altar are a belfry and a sacristy. The convent, which forms an annexure to the church, now houses the Archaeological Museum.



CHAPEL OF ST. CATHERINE: -Further to the west of the Church of St. Francis of Assisi is the chapel of St. Catherine. Built of laterite blocks it has a tower on either side of the façade. The chapel in the interior, having only one altar is plain.



PROFESSED HOUSE OF THE JESUITS: -The Jesuits who arrived for the first time in Goa in 1542, owned four big houses in Old Goa, namely, the well known Collegio de S. Paulo, the Bom Jesus Church with the attached house, the Church of St. Rock with the Novitiate house, and a recreation house with beautiful fountains. When the Jesuits were about to build the house for the Professed in 1585 they met with such a great opposition from the Senate, the Santa Casa de Misericordia and the Franciscans, because of the proximity to their institutions. So the Jesuits had recourse to a suttle device to erect this house.
The Professed House, as it now exists, is only a part of the original structure; the ravages of time and also the raging flames of 1663 devasted the third floor; it was repaired in 1783 but again the fire destroyed it. The third floor was demolished in 1886-87.In one of the halls of this third-floor, the Relics of the Body of St. Francis Xavier was kept for 13 years; in this hall on 3rd November, 1614 the right hand was amputated till the elbow; the second amputation took place on 27th April 1619.

BASILICA OF BOM JESUS:- Visitors from India and overseas flock to the Basilica of Bom Jesus in Old Goa, 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.

CHURCH OF ST. CAJETAN: -Built along the lines of the Basilica of St. Peter's in Rome, the Church of St. Cajetan is one of the visually appealing structures in Old Goa. The St Cajetan church was built by Italian friars of the order of Theatines, who were sent by Pope Urban VIII to preach Christianity. Although the church is dedicated to Our Lady of Divine Providence, it has been name after St. Cajetan, the founder of the Order of Theatines. The construction of the Church achieved completion in 1661.

The architecture of St. Cajetan church is pretty much similar to that of the other prominent churches of Goa. The exterior has been inspired by the Corinthian style while the interior is a blend of mosaic-Corinthian architectures. The magnificent façade facing west features towering Corinthian columns supporting a central pediment above which the twin belfry towers arise.

The Church of St. Cajetan is the only surviving domed church in Goa. The body of the church is divided into a nave and two aisles. There are three altars on each side of the main altar. The three altars on the left side are dedicated to the Holy Family, Our Lady of Piety and St. Clare, while the altars to the left are dedicated to St. John, St. Cajetan and St. Agnes.


CHAPEL OF ST. XAVIER: - Adorned with tiled roof, the chapel is embellished with Dorian style of architecture. Scripts endorse that the Chapel of St. Xavier was originally dedicated to either St. Anthony or to St. Jerome. In 1542, St. Francis Xavier came to Goa at the behest of St. Ignatius Loyola, the founder of the Society of Jesus. During the four rainy months he was in Goa, St. Francis preached to the uninitiated and to neo-converts. He returned after a short break to head the Santa Fe Theology College in Old Goa, later known as the College of St. Paul. With the irruption of the epidemic and the consequent abandoning of the college of St. Paul in 1570, the chapel fell into ruins and the present chapel was built in 1884. Since the Chapel was initially within the enclosure of the College of St. Paul, it was later dedicated to St. Francis Xavier or 'Goencho Saab' (Lord of Goa). Remember to see the miraculous well said to hold holy water.

CHAPEL OF ST. ANTHONY: -To the west of the tower of St. Augustine is the Royal Chapel dedicated to St. Anthony, the national saint of Portugal and held in great veneration by the Portuguese. It was built in the beginning of the 17th century.

In 1835 the chapel was closed but opened again in 1894 when it was also renovated. It was inaugurated again in 1961 after complete restoration done by the Portuguese Government.
Church of Our Lady of the Mount: -The Chapel of Our Lady of the Mount is situated on top of the hill behind the St. Cajetan Church. The chapel was build in 1510 by Alfonso de Albuquerque after his victory over the Goan Muslim ruler Yusuf Shah and was renovated in 2001. The Chapel is brightly white washed and is bypassed by many tourists.

The structure faces west which provides beautiful views from Divar and Chorao islands, the Mandovi River and the surrounding forested hills, especially during sunset. It also offers the overview of Old Goa where in 1510 Sultan Adil Shah's placed his artillery to defend the city from the Portuguese assault.
The chapel of Our Lady of the Mount can be reached after continuing for 1.5 km on the small road that passes through the Arch of Conception and the chapel is next to the 'Handmaids of Christ' convent situated opposite the facade of the Se Cathedral.

CHURCH AND CONVENT OF ST. MONICA: -Located adjacent to the Chapel of St. Anthony on the Holy Hill or Monte Santo, the Church and the Convent of St. Monica was Goa's only convent for nuns. Construction of this massive nunnery started in 1606 and reached completion in 1627. The Church and the Convent of St Monica is acclaimed as the first nunnery of the East.

Also known as the Royal Monastery of Santa Monica, the convent was the abode of around 150 cloistered nuns, called the daughters of St. Monica. Inside the penance rooms of the convent, the 'penitents', voluntarily or through persuasion, tormented themselves with ropes, leather straps and iron nails. After it ceased to be a nunnery since 1885, the Convent of St. Monica was granted the status of a church in 1968.

The external architecture of the St. Monica church is an amalgamation of the Tuscan, Corinthian and composite styles, while its interior blends the Doric and composite styles. The façade of the church features the statue of Santa Monica and the symbol of the Holy Ghost. The main altar contains the image of Santa Monica, mother of St. Augustine, to whom the convent and the church is dedicated.

CHURCH OF OUR LADY OF THE ROSARY: -Located atop the Monte Santo or the Holy Hill, the Church of Our Lady of Rosary is the oldest surviving Church in Goa. The church stands on the site of Portuguese leader Alfonso de Albuquerque's victory over the armies of Bijapur Sultan in 1510. In fact the Lady of Rosary church is believed to be built by de Albuquerque as a sign of gratitude for his victory.

Since its inception the church has been under the guardianship of the Franciscans. The Church of Our Lady of Rosary was revered by the public as it was here that St. Francis Xavier used to preach catechism every evening. The church is a fine specimen of the "Manueline" style of architecture, named after King Emmanuel of Portugal. This style is a confluence of Gothic and Renaissance architecture and is exclusive to Portugal of that time.

The principal altar of the Lady of Rosary church bears the image of Nossa Senhora de Rozario or Our Lady of the Rosary. The tombstone of Garcia de SA, one of the earlier Governors of Goa, lies in front of the altar. The architecture of the church gives the impression of a fortress with windows near the roof and rounded towers.

CHURCH OF ST. PETER:- The vast and stunning Church of St. Cajetan is located about half a kilometer away to the north east of the Se Cathedral, and quite near the ruins of the Viceregal Palace. The Church of St. Cajetan was originally known as Church of Our Lady of Divine Providence. This church, which has been modeled on the primary design of the Basilica of St. Peter in Rome, is architecturally Corinthian both externally and internally. The golden altars with exquisite carvings are in delicate Baroque style. The Church building itself is built of laterite blocks and is plastered with lime.

The Italian friars built the convent and church of St. Cajetan. Although the church altar is dedicated to Our Lady of Divine Providence, the church is named after the founder of the Theatine order, St. Cajetan who was a contemporary of St. Francis Xavier. The church is a fine example of splendid architectural forms. It attracts lots of tourists from all over the world.

On entering the Church one finds three altars on the left, dedicated to the Holy family of Our Lady of Piety and St. Clare. To the right, the altars of St. John, St. Cajetan and St. Agnes are situated. The largest of the altars on the right hand side of the church is dedicated to St Cajetan. There is an adorned wooden pulpit emerging from one of the piers. The existence of a well has led to the speculation that the site was once the location of a Hindu temple.