Basilica of Bom Jesus

The Basilica of Bom Jesus in Old Goa is the most famous church in India and holds the mortal remains of St Francis Xavier. Built by the Jesuits, it was consecrated in 1605 and is dedicated to the Infant Jesus, which is what Bom Jesus means. St Francis Xavier, the Jesuit missionary who died in 1552, lies in a silver casket set on an elaborate marble tomb. The tomb was a gift from Cosimo III de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany, and was made by the Florentine sculptor Giovanni Battista Foggini. The church's facade is unplastered red laterite, which gives it a strikingly different look from the whitewashed churches around it. Inside, the gilded main altar and carved woodwork are fine examples of Baroque work in Goa. The basilica is part of the Churches and Convents of Goa, a UNESCO World Heritage Site inscribed in 1986. Every few years the saint's remains are brought down for a public exposition that draws huge numbers of pilgrims. It is worth the trip as the spiritual heart of Old Goa and one of the most important Christian sites in Asia.