Churches

Our Lady of the

Immaculate Conception Church

 

Standing tall and elegant in the heart of the capital, is the famous Church of Our Lady of Immaculate Conception of Panaji (Igreja Maria Immaculada Conceicao). With the flight of steps adding to the exquisite charm and the majestic look of the immaculate & white façade, the Panjim Church is rooted in Goa ’s historic past and culture for more than four and a half centuries.

The Portuguese held Our Lady of Immaculate Conception in great awe as she was the Patroness of the Kingdom and Conquests. As such, a small hermitage was raised in her honour atop Panjim‘s hillock in 1541; and the hillock itself received its name from the hermitage.  In its early years the edifice had two side stairways with a part of the hillock existing between them.

To its south, going down to Corte de Oiteiro, there is a stairway of 65 steps. Its construction began in 1866…But the outer majesty of the Church complex was truly enhanced after the redesigning of the main stairway of 78 steps built around 1870, modeled after that of the Church of Bom Jesus de Braga, Portugal, with one middle and four side landings arranged in perfect symmetry…On the middle landing of the main stairway of the Pangim Church, there is a marble statue of Our Lady of Immaculate Conception which was placed atop a 5-metre high pedestal on December 8, 1954. It has a pulpit-like balcony in front of it.

The Church’s main bell was brought from the convent of St. Agostinho of (Velha) Goa. It weighs 2250 kgs. and is the biggest in the State next only to that of the Cathedral See of Old Goa. The bell was manufactured in Lisbon…and had been kept at the Aguada Lighthouse…after which it was brought toPangim in December 1874. …From a distance one can read on the frontispiece of the Church the refrain Ora Pro Nobis (Pray for us) – in Latin. This is a picture of the church in the 1900’s.

 

Basilica of Bom Jesus

  This church is located at Old Goa about 10 kilometers east of Panaji. The name “Bom Jesus” means “Infant Jesus or Good Jesus.”

 

Some features of this church are that its covered with marble and inlaid with precious stones and paintings.The magnificent edifice stands as a superb example of Baroque architecture in Goa and ensembles architectural pieces made of wood, stone, gold and granite.

Moving to its architecture, the church is a model of simplicity, elegance and a fine example of Jesuit architecture.The roof was originally tiled and interior of this chapel is richly adorned with wooden carvings and paintings, depicting the scenes from the life of the Saint. It shelters the mortal remains of St. Francis Xavier. 

Once you enter the chapel, you can observe a  Façade built out of black granite.The pillars and detail are carved from basalt.The three story façade of the church shows iconic, Doric and Corinthian Orders. The main altar is 54 ft. high and 30 ft. broad. 

The body of St. Francis Xavier lies in a glass coffin placed in a silver casket.The silver casket is exquisitely carved, and was once studded with precious stones.

    Se Cathedral

The Se Cathedral Church in Goa is dedicated to St. Catherine of Alexandria. This church is acclaimed to be the largest church in Asia. During the Portuguese rule, their supremacy built this impressive structure in the 16th century. The other thing that’s unique is its simplicity of style and architecture is that the exterior architecture of the church is Tuscan, whereas the interior is Corinthian.

St.Cathedral’s tower houses have a large bell known as the ‘Golden bell’ on account of its rich tone.  It said to be one of the best in Goa and One of the best in the world too. Several old paintings on either side of the altar which is dedicated to Catherine of Alexandria.On the right, you will find a chapel of Cross of miracles and the vision of Christ was said to have appeared in 1919.

There are 6 main panels, on which the scenes from the life of Saint Catherine are carved.A huge gilded reredos is present above the main altar.

The southern tower was collapsed and this fallen absent tower makes the church unique.The baptismal font(circa 1532) to the right of the entrance faces two statues of St. Francis Xavier whose sacred relics were displayed for the first time. And the inner décor of the cathedral is Corinthian, and the massive pillars support the barrel shaped vault and choir housed under an orthodox oblong ribbed roof.

 St. Cajetan church

The St Cajetan Church stands opposite to the Se Cathedral. Its pattern is said to have been derived from the original design of the Basilica of St Peter in Rome. Built of laterite blocks and plastered with lime. 

The original name of the St Cajetan Church was The Church of Our Lady of Divine Providence. The St Cajetan Chuch was built by Italian friars of the Order of Theatines.

Sent by Pope Urban III to preach Christianity in the kingdom of Golconda, the Friars finally settled down in Goa in 1640 when they failed to achieve their original mission. They obtained the site in 1655, and finally built the church in the 17th century. 

The church is named after the founder of the Theatine order, St.Cajetan (a contemporary of St.Francis Xavier). The main altar of the St Cajetan Church is dedicated to Our Lady of Divine Providence

The St Cajetan Church has a total of seven altars. One being the main; while the other six are dedicated to the Holy Family, Our Lady of Piety, St. Clare, St. John, St. Cajetan and St. Agnes - three to the right and three to the left. The paintings on the altars are in the style of the Italian School as it was practiced then. Some of these paintings in the St Cajetan Church also depict scenes from the life of St. Cajetan. The frontispiece of the church also has two belfry towers positioned on either side.

These two towers have Corinthian columns and four recesses which houses the statues of the apostles. The shape of the main body of the church from inside is a Greek cross, while from the outside it is oblong in shape. There are many recesses running along the sides of the vault that contain wooden statues of various saints.

The podium is a square raised platform with a kind of tank or a well beneath it. this aspect has gone on to breed the conjecture that the platform covers the holy tank of a Hindu Temple that once existed here and was demolished during the era of Inquisition.