Se Cathedral (St. Catherine's), Old Goa

Se Cathedral, Old Goa

Asia's Largest Church

Across the square from the Basilica of Bom Jesus rises an even vaster neighbour: Se Cathedral — 250 feet long, 181 wide, facade 115 feet high — the seat of the Archdiocese of Goa and Daman and, by common account, the largest church in Asia, bigger than any in Portugal itself.

History in Stone

• 1510: Albuquerque's conquest falls on St. Catherine's day; the cathedral carries her name ever since.
• 1562–1619: built at royal expense under Dom Sebastiao and his successors; consecrated 1640, altars completed 1652.
• The Golden Bell (Sino de Oiro): the tower's great bell, famed for its tone and immortalised in Portuguese verse — the largest and finest in Goa.
• Chapel of the Cross of Miracles: housing the cross where, tradition says, Christ appeared in 1619.
• 1986: inscribed with the Churches and Convents of Goa as UNESCO World Heritage.

Visiting

• The gilded reredos, Catherine panels (six scenes of her life and martyrdom), and vaulted nave repay slow looking; combine with Bom Jesus across the square and St. Francis of Assisi behind.
• Feast of St. Catherine (late November) is the cathedral's own high day; December's Xavier novenas spill crowds across Old Goa.
• Modest dress; the Archaeological Survey of India maintains the complex — signage is good, guides negotiable.