Goa Churches
Se Cathedral Chruch
One
of the most ancient and celebrated religious buildings of Goa, this magnificent
16th century monument to the Roman Catholic rule in Goa under the Portuguese
is the largest church in Asia. The Cathedral is dedicated to St. Catherine of
Alexandria on whose feast day in 1510 Alfonso Albuquerque defeated the Muslim
army and took possession of the city of Goa. Hence it is also known as St. Catherine's'
Cathedral.
The Cathedral was commissioned by the Portuguese Viceroy, Redondo to be "a
grandiose church worthy of the wealth, power and fame of the Portuguese who
dominated the seas from the Atlantic to the Pacific". The final edifice
is bigger than any of the churches in Portugal itself.
The construction of this imposing edifice began in 1562 during the reign of
King Dom Sebastião (1557-78) and substantially completed by 1619. The
main altars however were not finished until the year 1652. It was consecrated
in 1640. The Cathedral was built for the Dominicans and paid for by the Royal
Treasury out of the proceeds of the sale of the Crown's property.
The Cathedral stands to the west of the great square called Terreiro de Sabaio
and has its façade turned to the east. Its beautiful courtyard is approached
by a flight of steps. The building is Portuguese-Gothic in style with a Tuscan
exterior and Corinthian interior. The church is 250 ft in length and 181 ft
in breath. The frontispiece stands 115 ft high.
There were originally two towers, one on either side of the façade, but
the one on the southern side collapsed in 1776. The exterior of the cathedral
is notable for its plainness of style built in the Tuscan tradition. The loss
of one bell tower, which was never rebuilt, has given the building a unique
look.
The
Sé Cathedral has five bells. The existing tower houses a famous bell,
one of the largest in Goa and often referred to as 'Golden Bell' on account
of its rich tone which has been immortalized in a Portuguese poem. The main
altar is dedicated to St. Catherine of Alexandria, and old paintings on either
side of it depict scenes from her life and martyrdom.
The Cathedral has been built on a raised plinth of laterite, covered over with
lime plaster. There is a long nave, two aisles and a transept. A bell tower
is located to the southern side of the façade. The nave is barrel-vaulted
while the crossing is rib-vaulted. Massive pillars support the vault in the
nave and the choir, while the chapels on either side are separated by internal
defenses. The building is oblong on plan but has a cruciform layout in the interior.
The main entrance in the façade has Corinthian columns on plinths supporting
a pediment containing an inscription in Latin recording that, in 1562, in the
reign of King Dom Sebastiao, this Cathedral was ordered to be erected, the Archbishops
and the primates being administrators and that the succeeding kings continued
the same at the cost of the Royal Treasury.
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