Interesting Facts, History & Architecture of Basilica of Bom Jesus,Goa

Are you looking for lesser-known facts about Basilica of Bom Jesus Church? Here is a collection of interesting and unknown facts about Basilica of Bom Jesus Church which You’ve Never Heard Before.

People of many religions, castes, creeds, and sects live in the world. Every religion has different rules and people associated with that religion follow those rules.
In our country, Goa is a place where there is a famous church and the special thing about that church is that God Jesus is shown as a small child. Today we are going to tell you about Basilica Church of Goa and detailed information of this church.

Interesting Facts  about Basilica of Bom Jesus church

1.  There is a church ‘Basilica of Bom Jesus’ in Panaji, Goa. The body of St. Francis Xavier has been kept here for 450 years.
It is said that Francis Xavier’s dead body still has divine powers,Because of which it has not deteriorated to date. Every year thousands of tourists come from all over the country and abroad to visit this church.

2. Bom Jesus Basilica is a famous church of Goa, people of Christian faith all over the world respect this church, from the point of view of architecture, this church can be seen as an example. Nothing can be better than the simplicity and grandeur of the architecture of the Christian community.This Bom Jesus Basilica Church of Old Goa is located 10 km east of Panaji and has also been included in the World Heritage Monument List.

3. The body was still in the fresh state after being buried thrice

It is said that Xavier had asked the disciples to bury his body in Goa before his death. After which, according to Francis Xavier’s wish, his body was buried in Goa, but a few years later the delegation of saints from Rome took his body out of the grave and buried it again in Francis Xavier Church. It is said that his body was buried a total of three times. But each time the saint’s body was in the same fresh state as before he was buried.

4. The hand was separated by itself

The story about the saint’s body is prevalent that before death, he separated his hand from the body through divine powers. He held this hand as his identity for the delegation of saints coming from Rome also gave a letter to the disciples. Even today this separated hand is present in the church.

5. When the needle pierced in the body, blood came out

There is also a story that when a woman pierced a needle on the foot of the dead body of St. Francis Xavier, blood came out of it.Strange thing is that blood came out when his body had been dry for hundreds of years.

6. According to Report, every 10 years this body is kept for the public. The body is placed in a glass coffin. Even today, this body is not rotten.

7.  A very interesting story is hidden behind the construction of this church.

The Jesuit was strongly opposed by the Santa Casas da Misericordia and the Franciscans on behalf of the Senate to build this church. But a day before he was legally stopped to build a church, two fathers and a brother suddenly came there and converted a small house there into a church and then later on the door of that house  also wrote the word ‘Jesus‘.
That means today’s large Basilica Church started from a small house. The next day in the morning the church was opened for the people and the church bell also started ringing due to which everyone was surprised and gathered to see the church and the bell. Later, those who opposed the church could never remove the church from here.

This Goa church was built many years ago. When this church was going to be built, at that time many people protested about its construction, the people of the Senate, in particular, had strongly opposed it.

8. Many of the important buildings and corridors of this church were destroyed due to the fierce fire in 1663, but in 1783 the church was repaired. The upper story of this church was demolished between 1886 and 1887.

Basilica of Bom Jesus Architecture

• This Goa church is the best example of Baroque architecture. Everyone calls this church by the name ‘Bom Jesus’, it means ‘good Jesus‘ or ‘little Jesus‘.
• At the beginning of this church, a seal appears on which three words “HIS” are written for Jesus in the Greek language.
• The facade of this church is made of black granite in Doric and Corinthian style with great elegance and simplicity.
• The facade of this church is made of black granite in Doric and Corinthian style with great elegance and simplicity.
• Its length is 183 feet, width is 55 feet and height is 61 feet. The main altar of this church is 54 feet in height and 30 feet in width. All the columns built in this church were made from basalt and all these basalts were brought from a basin located 300 km away. The interiors of this church were built in the Mosaico Corinthian style.
• The roof of this church was made of tile. This church is built in the shape of a cross. The flying butterflies have been made in the northern direction of this church.
• Due to a building on the south side of this church, this church has been connected to the ‘Professed House‘.
• The three-story facade of this church is built in Ionic, Doric and Corinthian style and has a large entrance in front of which two small pillars are made in small Corinthian style. The church has two worship places, the main altar, and a separate choir. There is also a belfry in the back.
• After entering the church there is a statue of Saint Anthony in the right and on the left is a statue of Saint Francis Xavier carved in wood.
• To the north of the church is the tomb of Cochin captain Dom Jerónimo Mascarenhas, who donated a large amount to build this church. He died in 1593.
• In this church, Jesus as a young child, his statue looks even more beautiful, and also on the top side of his statue is the statue of Saint Ignatius Loyola who is considered the founder of the Order of Jesus.
• A medal in the church appears to have HIS inscribed on it for Jesus. A place of worship has also been arranged in the northern direction of the church.
• The church has a place of worship on the south side, where the holy remains of the body of Saint Francis Xavier are kept. Some important events of Saint’s life have been shown through carving wood and paintings at this place.
• There is a silver statue in front of his grave. The top part of his grave is also made entirely of silver and some precious gems are also placed in the tomb of Saint Francis Xavier. In every direction, his grave is separated into seven panels, and in each panel, the events of his life are shown on two plates.
• The altar of this church has a golden rose flower and it was given by the twelfth Pope Pius in 1953. Beside the altar feet of this church is the tomb of Balthazar da Viga, who died in 1659. A painting detailing Saint Francis Xavier is placed on the side of the altar of this church.
• The structure of this Basilica Church is simple but very magnificent and grand. Now the old roof in this church has been replaced by a wooden roof. At the side of the door, there is a statue of Saint Francis Xavier as soon as he goes to the church, but people do not easily notice that as they enter the church, everyone keeps looking at the decorated wall behind the altar because it is decorated in a very good way.
• A two-story building made of laterite is seen on the side of the Basilica Church. This building was made from a mixture of plinth and plaster. It was built in 1585, even before the Basilica Church. But at that time many people protested about the construction of this building.This Professed House was built by Domingos Fernandes and the building was built entirely according to the rules of the Jesuits.

Basilica of Bom Jesus History

If we talk about the history of the Church ,The foundation stone of the Basilica of Bom Jesus Church was laid on 24 November 1594 and the church was completed on 15 May 1605 by Father Alexia de Menezes.

After the death of St. Francis Xavier of Goa, his dead body was first preserved in Portugal but sent back to the Basilica after two years.

The saint is believed to have unprecedented healing powers. His body is still well decorated and placed in a coffin as a tomb.

All the property of the state was confiscated by the Portuguese in 1759, but the church has been allowed to continue its services and has since been known as a holy place.

The Basilica holds the sacred relics of St. Francis Xavier who was a patron saint of Goa and died in 1552.The mortal remains of the saint were gifted to the church by Cosimo de Medici III (III).
The body is now placed in an airtight shroud made of glass. As per his wish, his last remains were brought to Goa in the year of his death.It is said that while bringing here the body of the saint was as fresh as it was found while keeping it in the shroud.

Who was St., Francis Xavier ….

• St. Francis Xavier, a soldier before the saint. He was a student of Ignatius Loyola. Let me tell you that Ignatius started a religious institution called ‘Society of Jesus‘.
• King John Third of Portugal and the Pope sent Francis Xavier to India to propagate religion as a Jesuit missionary.
• He initiated many people from China, Japan, India into Christianity.
• He died during a sea voyage to China.

Francis Xavier was born on 7 April 1506 AD in Spain. With the help of King John III of Portugal and the Pope, he was sent to India on 7 April 1541 AD as a Jesuit missionary and reached Goa on 6 March 1542 AD, which was under the authority of the King of Portugal.
After doing missionary work in Goa, he went to Madras and Travancore. After doing missionary work here, he moved to the Malay Peninsula in 1545 AD to preach Christianity.He worked as a missionary for three years. In the Malaya Peninsula, he met a Japanese young man named Hanjiro. This young man was influenced by the teachings of St. Xavier.

St. Xavier reached Japan with this young man in 1549 AD. Not knowing the Japanese language, he preached for two and a half years with the help of Hanjiro and made many followers of the Christian religion.

He returned to Goa in 1552 AD from Japan and after some time reached China. He died of fever near Macao.
Saint Xavier preached Jesus Christ in 52 different states in only ten years of short missionary time. It is said that he roamed around an area of nine thousand miles and preached and made millions of disciples of Jesus Christ.

The dead body of the saint has been mutilated several times.
In 1553 when a disciple was taking his dead body from Sinkiang to Malacca, he pulled the flesh of the knee to give evidence to the captain of the ship.

In 1554, a Portuguese female traveler cut the flesh of his heel and took sacred relic with him to Portugal as a memento.In 1695, part of the saint’s arm was sent to Rome, which was distinguished in the ‘Church of Gesu‘.
Some part of the left hand was distinguished in 1619 in the Jesuit province of Japan. Some part of the stomach was removed and sent to the memory remains at various places.

Modern Art Gallery At Basilica Of Bom Jesus

The most interesting thing about the Basilica of Bom Jesus Church is that there is also a modern art gallery in the premises of the Basilica of Bom Jesus, the main exhibit of the gallery contains Italian paintings, which were made during the period between 1973 and 1976. The two largest paintings made include ‘The Last Judgment‘ (6 ft X 9 ft) and ‘Genesis‘ (4 ft X 28 ft).

Professed House Of Bom Jesus

The Professed House Basilica of Bom Jesus Church is one of the major focal points. Built-in the year 1585 under the supervision of BR Domingos Fernandes. The building is older than the church. The structure of this building is built in a two-story form. Due to fire in the year 1633, some part of this building was destroyed. But was partially restored and rebuilt. One floor was destroyed between 1886 and 1887.

Places Near Basilica Of Bom Jesus Church

Tourists visiting the Basilica of Bom Jesus can also visit some nearby tourist places. Which will make your journey more attractive and memorable.

• Old Goa
• Church of St. Francis of Assisi
• Cathedral Church Goa
• Archaeological Museum, Old Goa
• St. Francis Xavier’s Tomb
• Museum of Christian art
• Hollywood fashion goa high quality
• Goa Kayaking – Day Tours

Basilica Of Bom Jesus Church Entry Fee

If you are going to visit Goa’s famous Basilica of Bom Jesus, then let us tell you that you do not have to pay any entry fees here. This tourist place is free for your guests.

Time To Visit Basilica Of Bom Jesus Church

You can visit Basilica of Bom Jesus anytime, but the time from October to March is considered ideal for visiting. The weather is good during this time and you will feel safe from the rain and sunlight.
Timing: 7.30 am to 6.30 pm
Address: Old Goa Road, Bengal

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