Why pilgrims come
Visit the resting place and legacy of St. Francis Xavier
Completed in 1605, this Old Goa basilica is a major Jesuit pilgrimage church and the principal resting place of St. Francis Xavier. Its austere laterite exterior opens into a Baroque interior centered on the church’s dedication to Bom Jesus and the saint’s silver casket.
Approach Bom Jesus first as the tomb church of St. Francis Xavier and a living place of worship, then read its architecture as part of the Jesuit story of Old Goa and the missionary routes that extended across Asia.
The sacred connection
People and objects remembered here
These relationships are part of the destination record, with feast days and catalog qualifications shown where available.
tomb and bodily remains
Feast: December 3Bodily remains and tomb · Ecclesiastically documented
The casket is housed in the basilica; close public exposition occurs only on specially announced occasions.What to notice
Look closely at the place and its story
The casket of St. Francis Xavier
Pray at the principal resting place of the Jesuit missionary whose journeys linked Goa with communities across Asia.
The gilded high altar
Read the basilica’s dedication to Bom Jesus before moving to the saint’s chapel.
Laterite and classical orders
Notice the unplastered exterior and its layered Doric, Ionic, and Corinthian architectural language.
The wider Old Goa pilgrimage
Pair the basilica with the neighboring cathedral and convent churches to understand the former Catholic capital.
Feasts, anniversaries & celebrations
How to read this page
Sources, tradition, and what is verified
The destination record was last checked on 9/15/2026.
This page records the site’s tradition as “Catholic.” That wording describes the nature of the claim and keeps devotional tradition distinct from independently verified history.
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