How Do You Visit the Basilica of Bom Jesus in Old Goa?

The relics of St Francis Xavier

The basilica holds the mortal remains of St Francis Xavier, the Jesuit missionary who arrived in Goa in 1542 and is estimated to have converted 30,000 people. He died of a fever in 1552 on Shangchuan Island in China, aged 46. His remains were taken to Portuguese Malacca in March 1553 and reached Goa in December of the same year. The body rests in a silver-covered casket whose restoration was completed in 2021.

The feast day falls on December 3. Every ten years the body is displayed and carried in procession, which draws huge pilgrim crowds.

Source: Britannica, RV Asia.

The only basilica in Goa

Goa has hundreds of churches but only one basilica. It received the title through the pontifical decree Priscam Goae in 1946, and Incredible India describes it as the first church in South Asia granted Minor Basilica status. Bom Jesus means Good Jesus in Portuguese. The building and its churches in Old Goa form part of the Churches and Convents of Goa World Heritage site, listed in 1986.

Source: Goa Tourism, Wikipedia, Incredible India.

The bare red facade

The facade is built of laterite stone and was never plastered. A Portuguese conservationist stripped the plaster off in 1970 and it was never replaced, so the church shows its bare red stone today. That unmarked exterior is one of the most photographed sights in Old Goa.

Source: Goa Tourism.

Viewing hours and mass schedule

Source: Goa Tourism, Incredible India.

Dress and etiquette

The church publishes no written dress code. As a rule for active churches in India, cover shoulders and knees and remove hats inside. Visitors in swimwear or beach clothes will feel out of place. Speak quietly, and avoid visiting the tomb area during mass if you are not joining the service.

Source: not stated on the official pages, so treat this as general church etiquette.

Does entry cost anything?

No entry fee is stated on the Goa Tourism page or the Incredible India page. The basilica is a functioning church, so entry to view the interior is free and you simply walk in during viewing hours. Donations are customary in churches of this kind but not required.

Source: Goa Tourism, Incredible India.

The tomb of St Francis Xavier

The ornate tomb was a gift from Grand Duke Cosimo III of Tuscany. The Florentine sculptor Giovanni Battista Foggini carved it, with work begun in 1689 and the tomb erected in 1698. The silver-covered casket holding the remains was restored, with the work completed in 2021.

Every ten years the body is displayed and carried in procession through Old Goa, and mass is said at the chapel of St Francis Xavier on the 6th of every month at 10.00am. If you time your visit to the feast day on December 3 you will share the church with large crowds.

Source: Britannica, Goa Tourism.

Altars and artwork

The main altar stands 54 feet tall and 30 feet wide. It is flanked by altars dedicated to Our Lady of Hope and St Michael. Look up as you enter, the gilded work over the high altar is the finest interior sight after the tomb.

The modern art gallery on the grounds holds 36 paintings executed between 1973 and 1976 and is described as one of the largest of its kind in Asia. It is an unexpected contrast to the 16th century stone around it.

Source: RV Asia, Goa Tourism.

The Professed House

Next to the basilica stands the Professed House, the two storey Jesuit residence attached to the church. It burned twice in the 18th century and was rebuilt, and it completes the Jesuit compound that includes the basilica itself.

Source: Goa Tourism.

Construction and status

The building was paid for with legacies left by Dom Jeronimo Mascarenhas, a Portuguese Captain of Cochin, and was built from 1595 to 1605. Incredible India dates the Jesuit start to 1594, matching the founding of the Professed House. It was made a minor basilica by the pontifical decree Priscam Goae in 1946, the first church in South Asia to hold that rank.

The setting explains its grandeur. Old Goa was the Portuguese capital until the mid-18th century and had a population of 200,000 in 1565, larger than most European cities of the day. Malaria and cholera epidemics in the seventeenth century emptied the city, and the churches were left standing in what is now a small town.

Source: Wikipedia, Britannica, Incredible India.

On your own

From Panaji the drive to Old Goa takes roughly 20 to 30 minutes by taxi or rented scooter. The churches and monasteries of Old Goa span a 1.5 km stretch, so once you park near the basilica you can reach the rest on foot. Madgaon Junction (MAO) is the nearest railway station for Old Goa, useful if you arrive by train.

Source: Incredible India, Incredible India.

On a tour

The simplest way is a guided walk. The Old Goa Churches Walking Tour costs $13 per person, lasts 2.5 hours, is rated 4.9 from 92 reviews and includes free cancellation up to 24 hours before. The guide handles the route between the basilica, the Se Cathedral and the other monuments, and explains what you are looking at.

Source: goa tours and packages.

An Old Goa half day plan

Start at the basilica when viewing opens at 9.00am, before the crowds. Walk to the Se Cathedral, one of the largest churches in Asia, then continue to the Ruins of the Church of St Augustine and St Cajetan's Church. The whole circuit fits comfortably into a morning, and the 1.5 km stretch is flat and easy walking.

If you prefer company and context, the Old Goa Churches Walking Tour covers the same ground in 2.5 hours with a guide.

Source: Goa Tourism, Incredible India.

Timing your visit

The 9.00am opening gives you the coolest air and the emptiest nave. Sunday viewing starts later, at 11.00am, and Sunday mornings also carry three masses, so weekdays suit photography better. December 3, the feast day of St Francis Xavier, brings the biggest crowds, and the decennial procession years bring pilgrims from across the world. Those are powerful occasions if you want them and times to avoid if you do not.

Source: Goa Tourism, Britannica.

Who it suits

The basilica suits anyone interested in history, architecture or religious sites, and it works well for families since entry is free and the walk is short. Skip it if you have no interest in churches, or push it to a quick photo stop and spend your day on the beaches instead. History minded travellers get the most from a guide, since the Portuguese story of Old Goa rewards explanation.

Source: Britannica.