Beach Holiday Among The Churches Of Goa

Renowned for the cool beaches, places of worship and world heritage architecture, the smallest state of India, Goa is an ideal place for Christmas holidays. Domestic and international tourists visit the place, with rich flora and fauna, every year.

Church Of Our Lady of the Rosary: The oldest church built in the 16th century, is placed in Old Goa, crowning a hill, which was known as the Holy hill. Dedicated to Our Lady of Immaculate conception, the church had witnessed the conquest of Goa in 1510. The oldest complete structure and the parish church since 1543, this was the place where St Francis used to preach on every evening.

The Rachol Seminary: Originally a Muslim fortress, the Rachol Seminary was converted by Portuguese into a church and later into a prison. Situated at the top of a small hillock near Rachol and the small village of Raja, the seminary has a church built in 1576, dedicated to Saint Ignatius Loyola - the founder of the Jesuit order, which remains in excellent condition. It is believed that the Saint Constantine's fragments of bones are enshrined here along with a small glass vial, which once contained a little amount of the Saint’s blood.

Church of St. Francis of Assisi: Built of laterite blocks and lime plastered, Church of St. Francis of Assisi is an archaeological museum. Also known as the ‘Pearl of the Orient’ or ‘Rome of the East’, the church houses prehistoric items from a distant tribal past as also reminders of Goa Dourada, Golden Goa. The internal buttress walls, separating the chapels and supporting the gallery on top, have frescoes showing intricate floral designs.

The Se Cathedral: Dedicated to St. Catherine, the cathedral mesmerizes the visitors with the whispers of the Cross of Miracle. The cross in this cathedral on which the have had a vision of Christ is still slowly growing. Earlier, it was at Se Cathedral that the sacred relics of St. Francis Xavier were shown to the public.

Basilica of Bom Jesus: Declared as the World Heritage site by UNESCO, the church houses the sacred relics of St. Francis Xavier, patron saint of Goa. The saint’s body was as fresh as the day it was buried even after a year of his death, attracts lakhs of pilgrims to this place. On the upper level, overlooking the tomb, is the Bom Jesus Basilica Art Gallery, containing the works of the Goan surrealist painter, Dom Martin.