Basilica of Bom Jesus

Goa is a place of churches and chapels, and is often called Rome of the East. The Basilica of Bom Jesus at Old Goa was built by the jesuits in 1605. In 1542 St. Francis Xavier, a jesuit missionary reached Goa and worked among the poor. The embalmed body of St. Francis Xavier is placed in this Basilica. The casket in which the body of the saint has been kept was gifted by the Duke of Tuscany. The body is dressed in rich ceremonial garments. A golden baton with 194 emeralds is kept on the right side of the body. A life size statue of St. Ignatius of Loyola, the founder of the Jesuits was erected at the centre of the main altar. The three-storeyed Basilica made up of black granite and red laterite stone displays the architectural brilliance of the people of the 17^th century.