Basilica of Bom Jesus

The Basilica of Bom Jesus is a Jesuit church in Old Goa, consecrated in 1605, that holds the body of St Francis Xavier, the missionary who died on Shangchuan Island off the coast of China in 1552. The Basilica of Bom Jesus is part of the Churches and Convents of Goa, a UNESCO World Heritage Site listed in 1986, and is one of the earliest examples of baroque architecture in India.

Old Goa was the capital of Portuguese India and one of the great cities of Asia in the 16th century, before plague and the silting of the Mandovi river drove people out. The Basilica of Bom Jesus, whose name means Good Jesus or Infant Jesus, is one of the few buildings that has stayed in constant use. Its facade is laterite, the local red stone, left bare after its lime plaster was stripped in the twentieth century. Inside, St Francis Xavier's remains lie in a silver casket on a tomb of marble and jasper given by Cosimo III de Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany. The relics are brought down for public veneration roughly once a decade, most recently from November 2024 to January 2025, which draws millions of pilgrims.

What to see

• The three-storey laterite facade, with Doric, Ionic and Corinthian details and the Jesuit IHS emblem
• The gilded main altar with a statue of St Ignatius of Loyola, founder of the Jesuits
• The Medici tomb and silver casket of St Francis Xavier, in the chapel on the right
• The small art gallery upstairs, reached from the side cloister
• Se Cathedral and the Church of St Francis of Assisi, across the road in Old Goa

What to wear

The Basilica of Bom Jesus is a working church, so cover shoulders and knees: no sleeveless tops, short shorts or swimwear. Men should remove hats inside. A scarf helps over a sleeveless dress. Old Goa is hot and humid for most of the year, so carry water and a hat for the walk between churches. At feasts you may see local Catholic women in their best saree or dress and the men in suits, a mix of Indian and Portuguese tradition.

Local food to try

Old Goa has a few simple canteens, but Panaji, 10 km west, is the place for a proper Goan meal. Look for pork vindaloo and sorpotel, chicken cafreal, xacuti, and prawn or fish curry rice, with poi, the local bran bread. Around the Fontainhas Latin Quarter in Panaji you can find bakeries selling bebinca, dodol and doce. For vegetarians, Goan Hindu thalis with khatkhate, a mixed vegetable stew, and sol kadhi are good choices.

Good to know

• Best time: November to February, in the morning before the tour buses arrive
• Open daily, about 9am to 6:30pm; opens later on Sundays because of Mass
• Free entry; donations are welcome
• Allow an hour for the basilica, two to three hours for all of Old Goa
• About 10 km east of Panaji by road; roughly 30 minutes by taxi
• Keep quiet during services and avoid flash near the tomb and altar

Nearby places

The Basilica of Bom Jesus pairs well with an afternoon at Baga Beach, about 20 km away, or a day trip east to Dudhsagar Falls. Hampi, the ruined Vijayanagara capital in Karnataka, is about 270 km inland.