Church of St. Francis of Assisi: the church whose 1521 doorway survived its own 17th-century rebuilding
A Old Goa, in India, otto frati francescani portoghesi, giunti nel 1517, costruirono nel 1521 una piccola cappella, secondo la tradizione nei pressi del sito della moschea principale della città adilshahi, demolita dopo la conquista portoghese. La cappella, deteriorata nel tempo, fu sostituita da una chiesa più grande, dedicata allo Spirito Santo, costruita a metà degli anni 1660: nella nuova facciata, di ordine tuscanico su tre livelli fiancheggiata da due torri ottagonali, fu però conservato il portale d’ingresso originario, in stile manuelino-gotico portoghese, risalente alla cappella del 1521. L’interno, riccamente barocco con dettagli corinzi, conserva pannelli dipinti con scene della vita di san Francesco d’Assisi lungo le pareti della navata. Nel presbiterio si trova un cenotafio in alabastro dedicato a Dona Catarina, moglie del governatore Garcia de Sá, sotto il quale si trova la vera tomba dello stesso governatore, morto nel 1549. Dopo la soppressione degli ordini religiosi a Goa negli anni 1830, la chiesa fu sconsacrata; il convento adiacente ospita oggi il Museo Archeologico gestito dall’Archaeological Survey of India, allestito nel 1964, che espone sculture indù e giainiste, ritratti dei governatori portoghesi e altri reperti della regione. Dal 1986 il complesso fa parte, con altri sei monumenti, del Patrimonio Mondiale UNESCO “Chiese e Conventi di Goa”.
About the Church of St. Francis of Assisi
The Church and Convent of St. Francis of Assisi, in Old Goa, India, traces its origins to eight Portuguese Franciscan friars who arrived in 1517 and built a small chapel in 1521, reportedly near the site of the principal mosque of the pre-conquest Adil Shahi city, demolished following the Portuguese takeover. That original chapel deteriorated over time and was replaced by a larger church, dedicated to the Holy Spirit, built in the mid-1660s; remarkably, the new church’s builders retained the original chapel’s Manueline, Portuguese-Gothic entrance portal, incorporating a fragment of the 1521 structure directly into the later three-tiered Tuscan-order facade flanked by twin octagonal towers. Inside, richly Baroque decoration with Corinthian detailing frames painted panels along the nave walls depicting scenes from the life of Saint Francis of Assisi. In the chancel, a carved alabaster cenotaph commemorates Dona Catarina, wife of Governor Garcia de Sá, beneath which lies the actual grave of Garcia de Sá himself, who died in 1549 after succeeding João de Castro as Governor of Portuguese India. Following the suppression of religious orders in Goa during the 1830s, the church was deconsecrated, and the adjoining convent now houses the Archaeological Survey of India’s Goa museum, established in 1964, displaying Hindu and Jain temple sculpture, portraits of Portuguese governors and viceroys spanning some four centuries, and other artefacts recovered from across the Old Goa region. Since 1986, the complex has formed part, alongside six other monuments, of the UNESCO World Heritage Site “Churches and Convents of Goa.”
Key facts
- 1521: original chapel built by Franciscan friars
- Mid-1660s: replaced by a larger church, its 1521 Manueline entrance portal preserved
- Chancel cenotaph and grave of Governor Garcia de Sá (d. 1549) and his wife Dona Catarina
- 1830s: the church deconsecrated following the suppression of religious orders in Goa
- 1964: the adjoining convent becomes the Archaeological Survey of India’s Goa museum
- 1986: the complex becomes part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site “Churches and Convents of Goa”
History
The Church of St. Francis of Assisi’s preserved 1521 entrance portal, carried over into its 17th-century rebuilding, offers a rare physical link to the very earliest phase of Portuguese Franciscan presence in Goa, predating even the arrival of the Jesuits who would later dominate the region’s religious architecture. Its transformation from active parish church to archaeological museum following the 1830s suppression of religious orders reflects the broader institutional decline of Old Goa itself, once the seat of Portuguese Asia, as the colonial capital’s population and administrative importance shifted elsewhere over the following century.
What you see
The church’s three-tiered Tuscan-order facade, flanked by two octagonal towers, frames the preserved Manueline entrance portal inherited from the 1521 chapel, while the Baroque interior displays painted panels depicting the life of Saint Francis of Assisi and the Sá family cenotaph in the chancel. The adjoining former convent now presents the Archaeological Survey of India’s museum galleries, filled with sculpture, portraiture and artefacts documenting Goa’s layered Hindu, Jain and Portuguese colonial past.
Practical information
- Opening hours: museum generally open daily except certain holidays, with seasonal variation; admission fee applies; check current hours before visiting
- Address: Old Goa, Goa, India
Getting there
The Church and Convent of St. Francis of Assisi stands in Old Goa, near Se Cathedral and the Basilica of Bom Jesus, a short drive from the state capital Panaji. GPS: 15.5032° N, 73.9113° E.
Nearby
- Se Cathedral — the largest church in Asia, part of the same UNESCO listing, adjacent
- Basilica of Bom Jesus — holding the remains of Saint Francis Xavier, a short walk away
- Panaji — the Goan state capital, a short drive away
Sources
- Wikipedia — “Church and Convent of St. Francis of Assisi” (en.wikipedia.org)
- Encyclopaedia Britannica — “Church of Saint Francis of Assisi” (britannica.com)
- UNESCO World Heritage Centre — “Churches and Convents of Goa” (whc.unesco.org)
Find it on the map
See this place and what’s around it →📷 Diventa un fotografo di Cultural Heritage Online
Condividi le tue foto dei luoghi: restano pubblicate con la tua firma come autore. Più vengono viste, più ti fai conoscere — e presto un concorso premierà le foto più apprezzate.
Accedi o registrati gratis per aggiungere una foto