Goa Attractions
Se Cathedral, the largest Church in Asia is wealthy with the sacred
relics of St. Francis Xavier. The Se Cathedral Church in Goa is entirely
devoted to St. Catherine of Alexandria, which took eighty years to construct.
Today, Se Cathedral contributes significantly in making Goa a prime travel
destination of India. The splendid structure is a 16th centaury Portuguese
construction festooned with portico facing the east. The church has spreaded
at 250 ft in length and 181 ft in breath. It’s architecture showcases
the Portuguese style along with a Tuscan peripheral and Corinthian core.
It’s being the daily practice of the Goa people to wake up with the enchanting sound five colossal bells at Se Cathedral. The two bell towers edged the main façade of the Se Cathedral and the existing tower houses a prominent bell-'Golden Bell' the largest in Goa. The present Se Cathedral church is a structure of 1652, opened as a Goa Pilgrimage center after 80 years painstaking craftsmanship. The west-facing Cathedral has as many as 15 altars and its main alter being gilded, ornate of nine carved frames and a glorious crucifix.
The church is a demonstration of magnificence of the Portuguese era in Goa. A confluence of Tuscan and Doric architecture styles made the churches’ exterior a fabulous and extra ordinary one. There remain four chapels to either side of the core altar having Mosaic-Corinthian style interior. The church has achieved the prestige of being the seat of Archdiocese of Goa and even in Portugal. It is one of the most revered constructions for the Christians and affirmed a heritage site by UNESCO. Sited opposite to the Basilica de Bom Jesus, Se Cathedral is open from 7:30 am to 6:30 pm all thorough the week, except during mass.
