Catholic Church and Convent
St. Francis of Assisi is a World Heritage Site is located in old Goa 10 km away from its capital Panaji. A World Heritage site is designated by UNESCO as a place of significance. The church venerates St. Francis of Assisi.
St. Francis of Assisi’s church was established in 1517 by Portuguese Franciscans Friars. This area of Goa was “conquered” by the Portuguese who established their own Portuguese Viceroyalty. The current church was built in 1661 and it originated from a small chapel.
There are massive lines waiting to get into the Church, mostly Catholic folks from all over India who are devoted to St. Francis of Assisi
There is a convent right next to the Church with a nice museum full of antiquities. On the premises of the Convent, you will see many folks in need being assisted by nuns and volunteers.
St. Francis of Assisi was born in Italy in 1181 in Umbria, Italy, and died in 1226 in India. He was the son of a very wealthy merchant however he had a vision and was so moved that he decided to live in poverty and preach to the streets. St. Francis of Assisi was the founder of the Franciscan order of the Friars, a Roman Catholic Religious order whose members have ideals of poverty and charity. He was canonized as a Saint and almost 2 years later started the construction of his basilica. He was the head of the evangelical poverty movement! It is said he was very worldly and had a magnetic personality.
The inside of the church is a Baroque style and quite ornate. In the center, you will see the statue of St. Francis of Assisi.
St.Francis is the patron saint of Animals and the Environment
St. Francis was considered a great missionary and was well known for spreading his pastoral care without leaving the communities he evangelized.
The Basilica has beautiful gardens and there are semi-outdoor masses going on at all hours of the day serving hundreds of people.
St. Francis was considered a mystic (a person that aims to transcend human knowledge and believes that insights come from a non-physical form). He loved nature and he found a higher power that he called God in nature.
St. Francis of Assisi was the first recorded stigmata. Stigmata is a Catholic term that describes the marks resembling the crucified body of Jesus. It is said that once St.Francis of Assisi died in 1226, he had these marks all over his body.
St. Francis of Assisi, it is said, wanted to be buried at the basilica. There are long lines waiting to see his tomb with devotees and people asking for miracles.
Inside the Church, people wait in line to visit his tomb
Francis Xavier’s remains were initially transported to Portuguese Malacca before being sent back to Goa two years later. Legend has it that the body of the saint remained remarkably well-preserved, appearing as fresh as the day of burial.
Convent and beautiful gardens are on the premises, these are great places for visitors to rest and contemplate.
The convent has a nice museum with important artifacts and paintings.
St. Francis had a great devotion to the poor and his legacy lives on with the programs that aid the poor on the premises.
St. Francis Xavier is recognized for proposing that missionaries should adjust to the customs and language of the people they are trying to convert, and he was also a proponent of using friendship to overcome cultural barriers. Thank you St. Francis!
