Basilica of Bom Jesus, Old Goa

This page presents researched information about the Basilica of Bom Jesus (Basílica do Bom Jesus), the Catholic basilica in Old Goa that houses the sacred relics of St Francis Xavier.

Basic details

• Location: Old Goa (Velha Goa), Goa, India.
• Dedication: Bom Jesus (Good Jesus / Infant Jesus).
• Status: Minor Basilica (since 1946), part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site “Churches and Convents of Goa”.
• Architectural style: Baroque and Jesuit “plain style” with an unplastered laterite stone facade.

History and construction

The Basilica of Bom Jesus is one of the oldest churches in Goa and a landmark of Jesuit missionary architecture in Asia.

Construction began in 1594, funded largely by legacies from Dom Jerónimo Mascarenhas, a wealthy Portuguese captain of Cochin. The foundation stone was laid on 24 November 1594.

The church was completed and consecrated on 15 May 1605 by Archbishop Aleixo de Menezes. In 1946, the basilica was raised to the status of Minor Basilica by the pontifical decree “Priscam Goae”.

The name “Bom Jesus” means “Good Jesus” in Portuguese and is associated with Jesuit devotion to the Infant Jesus. The church’s identity, however, is inseparably linked to St Francis Xavier.

St Francis Xavier and his relics

St Francis Xavier (1506–1552), a Spanish Jesuit and co-founder of the Society of Jesus with St Ignatius of Loyola, arrived in Goa in 1542 and spent the next decade evangelising across India, Southeast Asia and Japan.

He died on 3 December 1552 on Shangchuan Island off the coast of China. His body was first buried at Portuguese Malacca; when disinterred some months later, it was reportedly found fresh and intact, which later contributed to his canonisation.

His remains were brought to Goa in stages and finally enshrined at the Basilica of Bom Jesus. The present mausoleum structure, in Florentine style, was installed around 1698, with a marble base gifted by Cosimo III de’ Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany, and a silver casket crafted under the supervision of Fr Marco Mastrilli SJ.

The relics now lie inside an airtight glass urn placed within the silver casket, set on an elevated platform in the right transept of the basilica. Pilgrims can view the casket from below; during special times the relics are more closely exposed.

Architecture and interior

The basilica is notable for its unplastered exterior, built in laterite stone in a classic Jesuit “plain style”, contrasting with the whitewashed facades of other Goan churches.

Inside, a single wide nave is flanked by side chapels and a transept, leading to a main altar richly gilded and dedicated to Bom Jesus. The interior includes carved woodwork, gilded altars, frescoes and paintings depicting scenes from the life of Christ and the missions of St Francis Xavier.

The mausoleum of St Francis Xavier is a major artistic feature, combining Italian marble, Florentine bronze work and Baroque ornament. Around the basilica, related structures include the former Jesuit residence and the Museum of Christian Art (which was historically housed here before being moved to the adjacent Convent of Santa Monica).

Feast days, exposition and liturgical life

The principal feast associated with the basilica is the Feast of St Francis Xavier, celebrated every year on 3 December.

The basilica is home to daily and Sunday Masses in Konkani and English. Typical published timings include:

• Sunday Masses: 7:00–8:00 am (Konkani), 9:15 am (English).
• Monday to Saturday: 7:00 am (Konkani), 8:00 am (English).
• Mass at the Chapel of St Francis Xavier: on the 6th of every month at 10:00 am.
• Holy Hour: first Friday of every month at 5:00 pm.

Visiting hours for viewing the basilica (outside Mass) are typically:

• Monday to Saturday: 9:00 am – 5:00 pm.
• Sunday: 11:00 am – 5:00 pm.

Every ten years, the basilica hosts a major event known as the Exposition of the Relics of St Francis Xavier. During the exposition, the casket containing the relics is brought down from its high platform, and the body is processed to the nave of the Sé Cathedral, where millions of pilgrims can venerate the relics up close over a period of about 45 days.

Miracles, beliefs and devotional significance

St Francis Xavier is revered in Goa as “protector of Goa” and “Apostle of the East”. Numerous devotees attribute healings, protection from storms and other favours to his intercession.

The reported incorruptibility of his body and the long history of answered prayers have made the basilica one of the most important pilgrimage centres in Asia.

Accounts from pilgrims and local Catholics describe the experience of seeing the relics as a “living miracle” and a source of deepened faith. Many report that visits during the feast or the exposition left an enduring spiritual impact.

The basilica also stands near other sites of miraculous tradition in Old Goa, including the Cross of Miracles associated with apparitions of Christ at the Monastery of St Monica and later housed at the Sé Cathedral.

Historical and cultural importance

The Basilica of Bom Jesus forms part of the UNESCO World Heritage ensemble “Churches and Convents of Goa”, alongside the Chapel of St Catherine, Church and Convent of St Francis of Assisi, Church of Our Lady of the Rosary, Church of St Augustine, Sé Cathedral and Chapel of St Cajetan.

These monuments collectively bear witness to more than 450 years of Portuguese rule in Goa and the evangelisation of Asia, spreading Manueline, Mannerist and Baroque artistic forms across the region.

The basilica in particular symbolises the global reach of Jesuit missions, the integration of European art with Indian settings and the enduring legacy of St Francis Xavier’s work. It remains a major site for both religious pilgrimage and heritage tourism, attracting visitors from India and around the world.