Basilica · India

Basilica of Bom Jesus, Goa

Basilica of Bom Jesus, Old Goa Road, Bainguinim, India

"The Basilica of Bom Jesus, Goa, contains the tomb and mortal remains of St Francis Xavier"

Highlights

1Completed in 1605, the imposing Basilica of Bom Jesus, Goa is an outstanding example of the architecture of Portuguese colonial India
2This elaborate late-Renaissance structure contains the tomb and mortal remains of St Francis Xavier, a close friend of St Ignatius Loyola with whom he founded the Society of Jesus, better known as the Jesuits
3Much of the early missionary work in India can be attributed to the efforts of the Saint
4He is rightly termed the ‘Apostle of the Indies’ for the influence of his work which continues centuries after his death
5St Francis Xavier is considered to be one of the greatest missionaries of the Church, since Paul the Apostle

Getting There

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Address

Old Goa, Velha Goa, North Goa District, Goa 403402, India

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Directions

Old Goa is 10 km east of Panaji, the state capital. Frequent buses from Panaji Kadamba bus terminal (30 min). By auto-rickshaw or taxi: approximately Rs 200-300 from Panaji. The basilica complex is in the UNESCO World Heritage Zone of Old Goa.

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Timings

Current time — India Standard Time (IST)

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When	Hours	Note
Basilica	9:00 AM - 6:30 PM
Mon-Sat Sunday Masses	7:00 AM

Entry to the basilica is free. The body of St Francis Xavier is permanently displayed in the silver casket in the mausoleum, accessible to pilgrims at all times during opening hours. Photography is permitted in most areas. The UNESCO site also includes Se Cathedral and St Cajetan Church nearby.

Masses & Events

Daily Mass

7:00 AM (Portuguese/Konkani), 8:15 AM

Morning

of St Francis Xavier

December 3

The principal feast; major pilgrimage gathering and three-day celebration

Decennial Exposition

Every 10 years

45-day event — The great exposition drawing millions of pilgrims from across Asia

Must See

The Incorrupt Body of St Francis Xavier

Mausoleum, upper transept The silver reliquary casket, elevated on a platform within the Florentine marble mausoleum, contains the body of the saint. The casket is opened during expositions; otherwise a glass section allows pilgrims to see the face. The body has never been embalmed, yet shows no decomposition after 470 years

a fact verified by medical examination in 1951. To stand before this casket is one of the most profound encounters available to a Christian pilgrim in Asia.

The Mausoleum of St Francis Xavier

Right transept of the basilica The white marble mausoleum, designed by Florentine sculptor Giovanni Battista Foggini and donated by the Grand Duke of Tuscany in 1698, is one of the most accomplished Baroque funerary monuments in Asia. Four levels of marble reliefs narrate the life and miracles of the saint above the silver casket.

The Baroque Facade

Exterior of the basilica [OUTDOOR] The red laterite baroque facade of the Basilica of Bom Jesus, built 1594-1605, is the defining image of Goa. The dark red stone, the Jesuit IHS monogram in gilded relief, the twin bell towers flanking the entrance, and the Portuguese-Baroque ornamentation are without parallel in Indian church architecture.

The Old Goa Archaeological Zone

Around the basilica [OUTDOOR] The Basilica of Bom Jesus stands within the UNESCO-protected archaeological zone of Old Goa, alongside Se Cathedral (the largest church in Asia), the Church of St Francis of Assisi, and St Cajetan Church. Spending a morning walking between these churches communicates the full scale of Goa's extraordinary religious heritage.

The Painting of St Francis Xavier

Interior left nave The large painting of St Francis Xavier as the Apostle of the Indies

depicted with a crucifix, surrounded by the peoples he evangelised — is one of the most important images of Christian mission in Asia. Below it, pilgrims leave notes, letters, and candles.

Intentions

Carry these intentions into the Basilica with you — pause at each sacred spot and lift them to God.

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For St Francis Xavier, Apostle of Asia — for his boldness and for his loneliness

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For the Church in India — for its joy, its diversity, and its 2,000-year history

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For Goa and for its unique Portuguese-Indian Catholic heritage

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For missionaries everywhere — those who leave home to bring the Gospel

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For those who die far from home, as Xavier died alone near Canton

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For the incorrupt — for those who did not decay, as a sign to the living

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For the unity of the Church across the diversity of Asia

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For the millions who have stood before this casket and left different, as I hope to leave different

Reflection

Francis Xavier was a Spaniard from Navarre who had never planned to go to Asia. He was sent by Ignatius of Loyola and King John III of Portugal. He arrived in Goa in 1542 and spent ten years baptising hundreds of thousands across the Indian Ocean world. He died in 1552, alone on a small island near China, aged 46, before he could enter the last country he wanted to reach. His body was brought back to Goa. It has not decomposed in 470 years. The man who gave everything is still here, in the city where his mission began.

Suggested Scripture — Matthew 28:19-20

Go and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.

Read in full on Bible Gateway →

A Pilgrim's Prayer

St Francis Xavier, Apostle of the Indies, you left everything and went to the ends of the earth with the Gospel. You baptised hundreds of thousands and died alone without having reached the last country you dreamed of. Your body lies here, incorrupt, as if still waiting to go further. Let your restlessness for souls become my own restlessness — let me too be unwilling to settle until every person I know has encountered the mercy of Christ. Amen.

Completed in 1605, the imposing Basilica of Bom Jesus, Goa is an outstanding example of the architecture of Portuguese colonial India. This elaborate late-Renaissance structure contains the tomb and mortal remains of St Francis Xavier, a close friend of St Ignatius Loyola with whom he founded the Society of Jesus, better known as the Jesuits . St Francis Xavier’s missionary voyages throughout the East became legendary. Much of the early missionary work in India can be attributed to the efforts of the Saint. He is rightly termed the ‘Apostle of the Indies’ for the influence of his work which continues centuries after his death. St Francis died on Sancian Island, Chuandao, Taishan while en route to continental China on 3 December 1552. His body is placed in the mausoleum to the right, in a glass-sided coffin amid a shower of gilt stars. St Francis Xavier is considered to be one of the greatest missionaries of the Church, since Paul the Apostle. Visitors to the Basilica of Bom Jesus, Goa will be struck by the exterior which remains unplastered. This was the handiwork of a zealous Portuguese conservationist who in 1950, ordered the lime plaster removed in the mistaken belief that the laterite stone of which the basilica is constructed would be strengthened if it were to be exposed to the elements. To date, no one has got around to replacing the plaster; hence, some of the intricate carving is eroded with the battering of each successive monsoon. Crowds throng the Basilica of Bom Jesus, Goa during the annual Feast of St Francis Xavier, held on 3 December each year. Once every 10 years, the saint is given an exposition, and his body viewed by multitudes of pilgrims. The next exposition will be held in 2024. Standing next to the Basilica is the Professed House of the Jesuits, a two-storey lime plastered building made of laterite. It is even older than the Basilica, having been completed in 1585. Jesuit missions to the East were planned and organised from this very building. Old Goa is the place from where the Roman Catholic Church expanded in the East. Although this former colonial capital boasts of several beautiful churches, the Basilica of Bom Jesus occupies pride of place among them.