Question

What is the significance of the relics of Saint Francis Xavier in Old Goa?

• A. They were moved to the Vatican in 1624
• B. They are located in the Church of St. Cajetan
• C. They are preserved at the Church of the Holy Cross
• D. They have been kept at the Basilica of Bom Jesus since 1624

Answer 1

Answer:

D. They have been kept at the Basilica of Bom Jesus since 1624

- The relics of Saint Francis Xavier, which have been kept at the Basilica of Bom Jesus in Old Goa since 1624, show very little signs of decay despite being exhumed multiple times. - Known as Goencho Saib (Lord of Goa), he arrived in Goa in 1542. - A Spanish Jesuit missionary, his mission was to revive Christianity among the Portuguese settlers, and he was one of the founders of the Jesuit order. - He passed away in 1552 on Shangchuan Island off the coast of China, where he was initially buried. - His body was later transferred to Malacca and eventually to Goa in 1554, where it was placed at St. Paul’s College in Old Goa, the first Jesuit building in the region. - The Feast of St. Francis Xavier, celebrated on December 3rd at the Basilica of Bom Jesus, is Goa's largest Christian festival, commemorating the anniversary of his death.