Basilica of Bom Jesus - Tomb of St Francis Xavier - Goa India Tourism - UNESCO World Heritage Site

Basilica of Bom Jesus, St Francis Xavier, UNESCO World Heritage Site, Goa, India: The Basilica of Bom Jesus or Borea Jezuchi Bajilika (Portuguese: Basílica do Bom

Jesus) is located 9 km from Panaji on the banks of Mandovi River in Old Goa, India and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. This magnificent edifice stands as a superb example of Baroque architecture in Goa. The church is called "Bom Jesus" meaning 'good Jesus' or 'infant Jesus' to whom it is dedicated. The façade has on it, at the top, the letters, "HIS" which are the first three letters of Jesus in Greek.

It contains the body of St. Francis Xavier, a very close friend of St. Ignatius Loyola with whom he founded the Society of Jesus, the (Jesuits). Francis Xavier died on Sancian Island while en route to continental China on (December 2, 1552). The embalmed body of the saint lies in an air-tight glass coffin which is placed in a silver casket. It is believed that the saint has miraculous powers of healing. Once every 10 years, the body is allowed to be viewed by the throng of people who visit this holy place.

Construction work on the church began in 1594 and the church was consecrated in May 1605 by the archbishop, Dom Fr. Aleixo de Menezes. This world heritage monument has

emerged as a landmark in the history of Christianity.

This is one of the oldest churches in Goa, as well as in India. The floor is of marble inlaid with precious stones. Apart from the elaborate gilded altars, the

interior of the church is simple. The church also holds paintings of scenes taken from the life of St. Francis Xavier. The mausoleum, on the top of which is placed the

silver casket with the body of St. Francis Xavier (1696), was the gift of the last of the Medicis, Cosimo III, the Grand Duke of Tuscany.

The foundation stone of this remarkably large church was laid on 24 November 1594 and the church was consecrated by Fr. Alexia de Menezes, the Archbishop of Goa and

Primate of India consecrated it when it was completed on 15 May 1605. In 1946 it was raised to the status of a minor Basilica.

This video was captured during the month of September, 2014.

Source - Wikipedia and other online sources
Content compiled by Somjit Bhattacharyya

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St Francis Xavier bless us and protect us from all evil