There are several Churches in Goa built by the Portuguese. Several wonderful churches were built by them in Old Goa, which are well known all over the world. The churches in Old Goa remind of its former magnificence which once rivaled that of Rome. It was known to the world as the ‘Pearl of the Orient’ or ‘Golden Goa’ in 16th and 17th centuries in its days of glory. You can know all about Goa India by visiting some of the churches.
The Portuguese Viceroy, Redondo, specially made the Se or St. Catherine’s Cathedral to be an extravagant church worthy of wealth, power and eminence of the Portuguese who subjugated the seas from the Atlantic to the Pacific. Today, there are no churches bigger than this, even though it was overwhelmed by problems, as it didn’t have the relevant funds for construction. The church was built in 80 years and was not sanctified until 1640.
One of the most impressive and renowned churches in Goa contains the leftovers of St. Francis Xavier, Patron saint of Goa, Apostle of the Indies. The construction of the church started on November 24, 1594 AD from the funds donated for this cause by Dom Jeronimos Mascarenhas. It was blessed by the Archbishop Dom Fr Aleixo se Menezes on May 15 1605 AD. It became the first church in India to be raised to the status of a minor basilica in 1946.
You can get more Goa information by visiting the churches that are one of the landmarks of Goa.
