PilgrimstaysLying to the west of the church of St Francis of Assisi in Old Goa, is the simple yet unassuming St Catherine Chapel. It was erected by the Portuguese conqueror Afonso de Albuquerque in 1510, to commemorate his victory over the Bijapur Sultan, Ismail Adil Shah. Old Goa or Velha Goa once was a Muslim city known as Ela. It is widely believed that General de Albuquerque made his entry into the city from this spot. The Chapel of St Catherine is built in the same area as the Se Cathedral which serves as the residence of the Archbishop of Goa. Although not as large in size or as grand as its neighbours, St Catherine Chapel is an important marker of the Portuguese presence in India. The chapel was elevated to the status of a Cathedral by Pope Paul III in 1534. It was enlarged in 1550 by the Portuguese Governor George Cabral. An inscription in Portuguese engraved in stone, which was added during the rebuilding, states that Afonso de Albuquerque entered the city at this spot. Historians believe that the chapel stands on the very location where the main gates to the Muslim city of Ela once stood. Facing the Mandovi River, the Chapel of St Catherine is a short walk away from the Archaeological Museum and Portrait Gallery. Differing from the other churches built by the Portuguese in Old Goa, the exterior of the chapel is a mix of lime plaster with a relief of laterite columns. A simple yet elegant altar is composed entirely in laterite and provides a marked contrast to the other churches that abound in the vicinity. The main altar is dedicated to St Catherine upon which stands another statue of Our Lady of Piety. Despite its simplicity, the Chapel has many elements of the Renaissance in its architecture. Two towers placed on either side of the facade give it the appearance made so famous in beautiful churches of its time. A statute of Our Lady is placed quite close to the entrance. The rectangular window panes are constructed in the old Portuguese style and are dressed in mica shells. The chapel itself is not functional today and is maintained by the Archaeological Survey of India. The Se Cathedral , the church of St Francis of Assisi , the Archaeological Museum and Portrait Gallery and the Chapel of St Catherine, are located from the east to the west in that order. They form part of the same complex which is of tremendous historical significance. In 1986, the Chapel of St Catherine was declared as one of the seven World Heritage Sites by UNESCO. Read more about the Pilgrim Stays itinerary of Goa here.
It was erected by the Portuguese conqueror Afonso de Albuquerque in 1510, to commemorate his victory over the Bijapur Sultan, Ismail Adil Shah
Old Goa or Velha Goa once was a Muslim city known as Ela
The Chapel of St Catherine is built in the same area as the Se Cathedral which serves as the residence of the Archbishop of Goa
The chapel was elevated to the status of a Cathedral by Pope Paul III in 1534
Differing from the other churches built by the Portuguese in Old Goa, the exterior of the chapel is a mix of lime plaster with a relief of laterite columns
The Se Cathedral's facade — in a unique combination of Manueline, Baroque, and Classical styles, with one surviving tower and one missing — is one of the most recognisable church facades in India. The asymmetry from the collapsed tower, the yellow laterite stone, and the Portuguese-era proportions make it immediately identifiable.
The Golden Bell in the north tower is one of the great bells of India — famous across Goa for its deep, resonant tone that can be heard across the forested hillsides of Old Goa. It is said to be the largest bell in Goa and is rung on major feast days. The sound of the bell rolling across the Mandovi River valley is one of the sonic landmarks of Old Goa.
The Holy Cross of Miracles — a large wooden cross enshrined in its own chapel within the cathedral — is the most intensely venerated object in the church. The cross was brought from a miraculous site on Divar Island and has been the focus of popular devotion since the 16th century. Pilgrims crowd the chapel for healing, the resolution of legal cases, and protection from evil.
The cathedral interior is a complete Portuguese Baroque space — a wide nave with side aisles, gilded retable behind the high altar, and the accumulated decorative additions of five centuries. The scale is impressive: the nave is 76 metres long, making it the longest church interior in India. The retable, depicting the life of St Catherine of Alexandria, is one of the finest examples of Portuguese religious art in Asia.
The Se Cathedral stands within the remarkable concentration of 16th and 17th-century Portuguese churches and convents that constitute the Old Goa UNESCO World Heritage Site. Within a 10-minute walk are the Basilica of Bom Jesus, the Church and Convent of St Francis of Assisi, the Church of St Cajetan, and the Archaeology Museum. Together they represent the most complete surviving Portuguese colonial city in the world.
The Portuguese entered Goa on the feast of St Catherine of Alexandria — November 25, 1510. They immediately built a chapel in her honour at the point of entry. She was a 4th-century Egyptian martyr from Alexandria who defeated the 50 philosophers sent to argue her out of her faith. The Portuguese, who valued both swords and disputations, found her a fitting patron. The church they built is still here, still celebrating her feast, still housing a bell whose sound crosses the valley. The conquest it commemorates was brutal. The faith it expressed was real.
“Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer. Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you life as your victor's crown.”
Read in full on Bible Gateway →Lying to the west of the church of St Francis of Assisi in Old Goa is the simple yet unassuming St Catherine Chapel. It was erected by the Portuguese conqueror Afonso de Albuquerque in 1510, to commemorate his victory over the Bijapur Sultan, Ismail Adil Shah. Old Goa, or Velha Goa, once was a Muslim city known as Ela. It is widely believed that General de Albuquerque made his entry into the city from this spot.
The Chapel of St Catherine is built in the same area as the Se Cathedral, which serves as the residence of the Archbishop of Goa. Although not as large in size or as grand as its neighbours, St Catherine Chapel is an important marker of the Portuguese presence in India. The chapel was elevated to the status of a cathedral by Pope Paul III in 1534. It was enlarged in 1550 by the Portuguese Governor George Cabral.
An inscription in Portuguese engraved in stone, added during the rebuilding, states that Afonso de Albuquerque entered the city at this spot. Historians believe that the chapel stands on the very location where the main gates to the Muslim city of Ela once stood. Facing the Mandovi River, the Chapel of St Catherine is a short walk away from the Archaeological Museum and Portrait Gallery.
Differing from the other churches built by the Portuguese in Old Goa, the exterior of the chapel is a mix of lime plaster with a relief of laterite columns. A simple yet elegant altar is composed entirely in laterite and provides a marked contrast to the other churches that abound in the vicinity. The main altar is dedicated to St Catherine, upon which stands another statue of Our Lady of Piety.
Despite its simplicity, the chapel has many elements of the Renaissance in its architecture. Two towers placed on either side of the facade give it the appearance made so famous in beautiful churches of its time. A statue of Our Lady is placed quite close to the entrance. The rectangular window panes are constructed in the old Portuguese style and are dressed in mica shells.
The chapel itself is not functional today and is maintained by the Archaeological Survey of India. The Se Cathedral, the church of St Francis of Assisi, the Archaeological Museum and Portrait Gallery, and the Chapel of St Catherine are located from east to west in that order. They form part of the same complex, which is of tremendous historical significance. In 1986, the Chapel of St Catherine was declared as one of the seven World Heritage Sites by UNESCO. Read more about the Pilgrim Stays itinerary of Goa here.
