St. Cajetan Church Of Old Goa, India: A UNESCO World Heritage Site

Built in 1661 by Italian friars of the Theatine Order, the Church of St. Cajetan is a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Old Goa. Modeled directly after St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome, it features a striking Corinthian facade, twin quadrant towers, and a grand central dome. Crafted from laterite and plaster, its interior boasts ornate Baroque altars and a Latin cross layout, standing as a fine specimen of Italian Renaissance architecture in India.

St. Cajetan Church in Old Goa en.wikipedia.org

St. Cajetan Church, completed in 1661 is one of the oldest churches in India. Named after saint St. Cajetan (1480 - 1547), an italian priest and reformer, who was beatified on 8 October 1629 - 82 years after his death. Also known as the Church of Divine Providence, it is in old Goa, once a Portuguese settlement. A church of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Goa and Daman, it is part of the World Heritage Site, Churches and convents of Goa.

St. Cajetan Church in Old Goa
ranasafvi.com

St. Cajetan Church in Old Goa trawell.in

St.Cajetan Church in Old Goa.travel-goa.in

The church came into being owing to dedicated efforts made by Italian priests led by Pedro Avitabili who got permission from the king of portugal John IV of Portugal to work along with the Portuguese priests in Goa in their missionary work and to spread the message of ''Gospel of love'' by Christ. In 1650 they built a hospital and later in 1655 a church and a small convent near it.

Church was modeled after St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City and its design was entrusted with Italian architects, Carlo Ferrarini and Francesco Maria Milazzo.

St.Cajetan Church in Old Goa.tripadvisor.com

Interior,St. Cajetan Church in Old Goa
dreamstime.com

Altar and dome St. Cajetan Church in Old Goa
Flicker.com

Built in the form of a Greek Cross with a large hemispherical dome in the middle, the attractive features are the Corinthian style facade of the church that displays two quadrangular turrets instead of towers. Ornate Corinthian columns with four decorative niches, contain the granite statues of the apostles Peter, Paul, John, and Matthew. Besides, Latin inscriptions from the Gospel of Matthew inside the dome enhance the beauty of the interior. Yet another feature is there are seven altars, with the main altar dedicated to Our Lady of Providence which is intricately carved and backed by a gilded reredos (an ornamental screen). The main one is based on the one at Church of San Nicolo, Verona. It was ordered in 1713 by the Theatines under Cosimo III de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany. The altar to Saint Cajetan is located on the right

The cupola on a raised square platform over a covered well suggests that the church was built on a site of a Hindu temple. In order to take care of the dead Portuguese soldiers before dispatching them to Lisbon, capital of portugal, the cemetery below the altar in 1842 was converted into a vault (to store the bodies).

The nearby Convent of St. Cajetan, constructed on a much smaller scale than the church, is equally an impressive building and it houses the Pius X Institute of Pastoral Theology for the training of priests and a small museum of Christian relics.

Being a popular church lots of people visit it year round as it is a fine example of old Portuguese architecture with numerous innovative features. Saint Cajetan's feast day is 7th August.

https://www.travel-goa.in/2022/01/st-cajetan-church/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Cajetan_Church

https://ranasafvi.com/the-st-cajetan-church-old-goa

K. N. Jayaraman (Author: navrangindia.blogspot.com)