Exploring Old Goa on Foot--The once-bustling Goan capital is said to have been the richest and most splendid city in Asia during the late 16th and early 17th centuries, before a spate of cholera and malaria epidemics forced a move in 1759; today this World Heritage Site is tepid testament to the splendor it once enjoyed. The tranquillity behind this well-preserved tourist site (barring the grubby stands selling refreshments and hideous souvenirs) belies the fact that it was built on plunder and forced conversions, though you'll see little evidence (like the basalt architraves) of the mass destruction of the Hindu temples initiated by the fervent colonialists.
The entire area can easily be explored on foot because the most interesting buildings are clustered together. To the northwest is the Arch of the Viceroys, built in 1597 in commemoration of the arrival of Vasco da Gama in India. Nearby, the Corinthian-styled Church of St. Cajetan (1651) was built by Italian friars of the Theatine order, who modeled it after St. Peter's in Rome. Under the church is a crypt in which embalmed Portuguese governors were kept before being shipped back to Lisbon -- in 1992 three forgotten cadavers were removed. St. Cajetan's is a short walk down the lane from Adil Shah's Gate, a simple lintel supported by two black basalt columns.
Southwest of St. Cajetan's are the highlights of Old Goa: the splendid St. Catherine's Cathedral (Sé), which took nearly 80 years to build and is said to be larger than any church in Portugal; and the Basilica of Bom Jesus (Cathedal of the Good Jesus). The so-called Miraculous Cross, housed in a box in a chapel behind a decorative screen, was brought here from a Goan village after a vision of Christ was seen on it -- apparently a single touch (there is a hole in the glass for just this purpose) will cure the sick. The surviving tower of the Sé's whitewashed Tuscan exterior houses the Golden Bell -- the tolling of the bell indicated the commencement of the auto da fés, brutal public spectacles in which suspected heretics were tortured and burnt at the stake. Nearby, the Convent and Church of St. Francis of Assisi (now an unimpressive archaeological museum) has a floor of gravestones and coats of arms; note that the images of Mary and Christ are darker-skinned than usual.
Opposite the Sé, the Basilica of Bom was built between 1594 and 1605 as a resting place for the remains of the so-called saint Francis Xavier (he was responsible for most of the conversions); the withered body of the venerated saint lies in a silver casket to the right of the altar, his corpse surprisingly well-preserved (although one arm is on display in Rome).
Up the hill from the Basilica are the ruins of the Church of St. Augustine; below is the Church and Convent of St. Monica Christon, where a miraculous image of the crucified Christ once regularly bled, spoke, and opened its eyes.
Basilica de Bom Jesus: Mon-Sat 9am-6:30pm, Sun 10:30am-6:30pm. Sé Cathedral: Daily 8:30am-5:30pm. Archaeological Museum: Sat-Thurs 10am-5pm; admission Rs 5 (10¢). Convent and Church of St. Francis of Assisi: daily 8:30am-5:30pm. Church of St. Cajetan: daily 8:30am-12:30pm and 3-5:30pm.
