Advertise With Us

Sightseeing in Goa

Churches

india goam medical tourism health vacations ayurveda-4.jpg

A slice of Catholic Portugal tucked away on the West coast of India, Goa is dotted with churches and cathedrals, many dating back centuries.  These monuments to Christianity are what helped Goa earn its reputation as the “Rome of the East.” The most prominent among these is the Basilica of Bom Jesu which houses the remarkably well preserved remains of the state’s patron saint St. Francis of Assisi.  The saint was on a sea voyage to China when he died in 1552, and when his remains were brought back to Goa the following year, they were as “fresh and free from decay” as the day he was buried.  The shriveled body of the saint, Goa’s very own home grown miracle, is displayed in a silver casket above the altar (you’ll have to really crane your neck to see it though) and an open-to-the-public display every ten years attracts hundreds of thousands of pilgrims from all over the world.  Devotees insist on the saint’s miraculous healing powers, and he was believed to have been the protector of the state’s Portuguese rulers during their 450 year reign. 

Se Cathedral is dedicated to St. Catherine on whose feast day the Portuguese conquered Goa. It’s 80 years old and is believed to be bigger than any church in Portugal. It houses the awe-inspiring Cross of Miracles, displayed in a box, and on which images of Christ were once believed to have been seen.  It is claimed that the rock on which it was found spouted water.  Devotees also assert that touching this relic can cure illness (there’s even a convenient hole in the glass where visitors can test the theory).   

Other churches include the whitewashed Church of St. Francis of Assisi, part of which has been converted into an archaeological museum, and whose Mary and Jesus statues are noticeably darker skinned.  There’s also the Church of St. Monica Christen where the statue of Christ on his crucifix reportedly bled. 

Fort Aguada

Towering on a long stretch of peninsula jutting out into the Arabian Sea, Fort Aguada was built in 1612 by the Portuguese Viceroy de Tavora.  It gets its name from the three fresh water springs inside, which replenished ships coming in from Lisbon.  In its heyday, this fort was the bastion of the Portuguese Indian Empire, serving to protect their interests from the Dutch and the Marathas.  Check out the lighthouse built in 1864.  It is reportedly the oldest in Asia.
Previous, Dining in Goa Next, Recreation in Goa