Church of St. Francis of Assisi

Address: Holy Hill, Old Goa City: Panaji State: Goa Location: South West India Year of Construction: 1661 AD Type of Construction: Medieval Type of Building: Church Religion: Christianity Church of St. Francis of Assisi : The Church of St. Francis of Assisi is sited in the same complex, where Se Cathedral is situated.

The church is a stunning building, constructed during 1517-1521 AD. A church sanctified to the Holy Ghost was built in 1521 and was later demolished. The present church was then built on the same spot in 1661, maintaining only the foyer of the earlier church. There used to be an educational institution within the church. The Portuguese government closed the convent in 1835. The Archaeological Survey of India renewed the church into a museum in 1964. The church displays relics and paintings of Hindu temple sculptures from Goa. Inside the church The interiors are Mosaic Corinthian in style, the arch ribbed, the walls are illustrated with scenes from Bible and vault ribbed. The church has a main altar and two other on either side in the transept, a nave with three chapels on its either side and a choir on first floor. The choir has, in between carved wooden panels, a portrait of Fransiscian hagiology (literature related to their lives). The church has a belfry and a sacristy towards the north of the main altar.

A wooden pulpit exquisitely carved with floral patterns on the left welcomes sight as you enter. Buttress walls are adorned with frescoes depicting sophisticated floral designs. These walls inside the structure separate the three chapels and support a gallery above. Architecture of the Building The Church of St. Francis has been designed very finely. The church is much smaller than the Se Cathedral and the Basilica of Bom Jesus, and although it