India GOSt Francis Xavier: the Jesuit who never left Goa
Franciscus Xaverius
Jesuit missionary and patron of Goa (Goencho Saib, “Lord of Goa”); his body has rested in Old Goa since 1554 and is shown once a decade.
Francis Xavier was a Basque priest from Navarre, one of the founders of the Jesuits and the order's first missionary in Asia. He spent barely ten years in the East, and Goa only as a base between journeys, yet his body has rested in Old Goa since 1554, and for Goans he is simply Goencho Saib, the Lord of Goa.
Story
He came to Goa in 1542, gathered children with a hand-bell in the streets, wrote home that many would be Christians if only someone came to teach them, and set off for Japan and China; he died of fever on an island off the Chinese coast, waiting for a boat to the mainland. The body, buried in lime, was found whole months later and brought back to Goa, where it is now shown to pilgrims once a decade; the right arm was sent to Rome. In Konkani he is simply Goencho Saib, and on 3 December all of Goa comes to Old Goa.
“Many here do not become Christians for one reason only: there is no one to make them Christians.”
Letter from Kochi, 1544
Places linked to them
Basilica of Bom Jesus (Old Goa) · Goa Se Cathedral of Santa Catarina · GoaFrom Navarre to the coast of China
Francisco de Jasso y Javier was born on 7 April 1506 in the castle of Javier in Navarre. At the University of Paris he shared rooms with Ignatius of Loyola, and in 1534 at Montmartre the two of them and five companions took the vows from which the Society of Jesus grew.
The king of Portugal wanted priests for his Asian possessions, and Xavier landed in Goa on 6 May 1542. From there he went down to the pearl-fishing villages of the southern coast, on to Malacca and the Moluccas, and in 1549 to Kagoshima in Japan. China was the last goal. He died on 3 December 1552 on Shangchuan island, off the coast of Guangdong, still waiting for a boat to the mainland.
The body in Old Goa and the Exposition
The body went first to Malacca and reached Goa in 1554. It lies in a silver casket in the Basilica of Bom Jesus, the Jesuit church built between 1594 and 1605. The right forearm was taken to the Gesù in Rome in 1614. He was canonised on 12 March 1622 together with Ignatius, and in 1927 the Pope named him patron of the Catholic missions.
Roughly once a decade the relics are carried across the square to Se Cathedral for the Exposition, weeks of public veneration. The 18th ran from November 2024 to January 2025; the Archdiocese of Goa and Daman announces each one.
The feast on 3 December
His feast day, 3 December, is the largest gathering of the Goan year. A nine-day novena begins on 24 November, with Masses from before dawn, and on the day itself tens of thousands fill the lawn between the red basilica and the white cathedral while a fair spreads along the road. When 3 December falls on a Sunday the feast moves to Monday. Dates and what to expect are on the Feast of St Francis Xavier page.
Xavier and the Goa Inquisition
In a letter to King John III, dated 1546 in most accounts (some give 1545), Xavier asked the king to institute the Inquisition in India. Historians read the letter differently: some see a request for a Goa Inquisition, others stress his call for a special official to promote the faith and protect new converts. The Goa Inquisition was set up in 1560, eight years after his death, and abolished in 1812.
❓ FAQ
What is St Francis Xavier famous for?
For co-founding the Jesuits, for missions from India to Japan, and for his body in Old Goa, venerated by pilgrims ever since 1554.
Which saint is buried in Goa?
St Francis Xavier. His body rests in a silver casket in the Basilica of Bom Jesus in Old Goa.
Can I see his body?
The casket is in the basilica and can be seen on any visit; the body itself is brought down for public veneration only during the Exposition, roughly once a decade. Entry to the basilica is free; dress modestly.
What are St Francis Xavier's miracles?
Catholic tradition credits him with many miracles; the best-known sign is the state of his body, found whole after months in lime. He was canonised in 1622.
When is his feast day?
3 December, after a novena from 24 November; in 2026 the novena runs 24 November to 3 December.