The baroque Basilica of Bom Jesus Goa

The Basilica of Bom Jesus: Architectural & Historical Overview

1. Historical Background & Legacy

• Portuguese Era: Constructed during the peak of Portuguese influence in Goa, which served as the ecclesiastical and political capital of Portuguese possessions in Asia.
• The Saint's Journey: St. Francis Xavier died in 1552 on Sancian Island near China. Miraculously found lifelike during exhumation, his remains were eventually transferred to Goa in 1854 and enshrined permanently at the Basilica.
• Affectionate Moniker: Locally revered as “Gõycho Saib” (Lord of Goa), drawing millions of regional and international faithful.

2. Architecture & Design Highlights

• Baroque Masterpiece: Built between 1594 and 1605 using locally quarried reddish laterite stone, it stands as one of India's earliest and finest examples of Jesuit architecture.
• Façade Features: A unique three-tiered structure featuring the 'IHS' monogram (representing Jesus Christ) encircled by angels and decorative motifs at its apex.
• The Grand Altar: Embellished with rich gilding, featuring a statue of Infant Jesus alongside a dominant figure of St. Ignatius of Loyola (founder of the Jesuits) looking upward toward the Holy Trinity.

3. The Mausoleum of St. Francis Xavier

• Florentine Craftsmanship: The shrine was gifted by Cosmas II (Duke of Tuscany) and meticulously crafted by Florentine sculptor Giovanni Batista Foggini over a decade.
• Three-Tier Construction:

• • Base: Reddish-purple jasper embellished with intricate white marble carvings.
  • Middle Section: Extensively worked bronze plaques illustrating critical scenes from the life of St. Xavier.
  • Upper Tier: A marble balustrade holding the carved silver casket that preserves the sacred relics.

4. Unique Knowledge: Decennial Public Expositions

• The Tradition: Unlike permanent displays, the actual silver casket containing the glass-encased body is traditionally lowered for public view roughly once every 10 years (known as the Decennial Exposition).
• Recent Milestone: The 18th Solemn Exposition took place from November 2024 through January 2025, drawing millions of pilgrims to Old Goa for 45 days of intense veneration.

In its chapel lie St Francis Xavier's miraculously preserved remains hough the small state of Goa on the western coast of India traces its history to the third century BC, much of her extant architecture and culture reflects 450 years of Portuguese rule. This period commenced with Afonso de Albuquerque wresting control of the port in l510, and today, even 45 years after the Portuguese have left, their influence on its culture remains deeply embedded.

Under its European rulers, Goa became the political and ecclesiastical capital of all Portuguese possessions in Asia and acquired the grandeur of an imperial city. Travellers praised its secular and religious architecture. Among these is the Basilica of Bom Jesus, one of the holiest places of worship for Catholics in Asia, owing to the revered relics of St Francis Xavier preserved here in a beautiful mausoleum.

Francis Xavier was born on 7 April 1506, in Spain. Having an intellectual bent of mind. He pursued academics and learning, received priesthood, served the sick and taught the gospel. He travelled to the East, reaching Goa in 1542 and returning after further travels. Falling ill on a voyage to the Far East, he died on Sancia Island, near China, in December 1552 at the young age of 46. His body was buried on the Island after being coated with lime to precipitate its decomposition that would enable the bones to be taken to Malacca. But in February 1553, when it was exhumed, the body was found to be miraculously lifelike. It was taken to Malacca for burial in the Church of Our Lady of the Mount. After four months, when his successor had the body exhumed again, it had not shown any change. It was subsequently conveyed to Goa, where it was received by the people in March 1554 and placed in St Paul's College till 1613, following which it was taken to the Professed House of Bom Jesus. Following the canonisation of the Saint in 1622, an exquisite silver coffin was crafted for his body within which it is presently placed in the chapel in the transept, on the southern side of the Basilica.

The mausoleum lies in a chapel with gilded columns The Basilica of Bom Jesus (Good' Jesus) is dedicated to Infant Jesus and regarded as one of the finest examples of baroque architecture in India. Built during 1594-1605, out of blocks of the locally quarried reddish laterite stone, it has a three-storeyed façade. The IHS' monogram, symbolic of Jesus Christ, enclosed with angels and decorative motifs, is engraved on the highest square of the façade. Inside, the richly gilded main altar has the figure of Infant Jesus, above which the large statue of St Ignatius Loyola, founder of the Order of Jesuits, gazes at a medallion higher up.

Above the medallion are fine figures of the Holy Trinity. The main altar is anked by two decorated altars in the transept, one dedicated to Our Lady of Hope and the other to St Michael. On the right of the main altar, in a chape) with gilded twisted columns, loral decorations of wood, and paintings depicting scenes from the life of the Saint, stands his mausoleum. Gifted by the Duke of Tuscany, Cosmas

II. the shrine was fashioned by the Florentine sculptor Giovanni Batista Foggini (1653-1737) in over 10 years. Its parts were packed and transported to Goa, where they were assembled in 1698. The rectangular base of the mausoleum, made of reddish- purple jasper, is decorated with white marble carvings. Above this is another large rectangular section, with extensively worked bronze plaques in the centre of each side, each of which depicts a scene from the life of St Xavier. The third section of the mausoleum is a marble balustrade, which supports the carved silver casket in which lie the sacred relics of the body. Public expositions Once every 10 years there are public expositions of the undecomposed relics.

The first exposition was held in 1782, and the last in 2004, during which an estimated 2 million devotees came to seek blessings. After the public exposition of 1952, it was decided that the body be placed in a crystal urn, and the public should no longer be allowed to touch it directly.