The Jesuits who arrived for the first time in Goa in 1542, owned four big houses in Old Goa, namely, the well known Collegio de S. Paulo, the Bom Jesus Church with the attached house, the Church of St. Rock with the Novitiate house, and a recreation house with beautiful fountains.
When the Jesuits were about to build the house for the Professed in 1585 they met with such a great opposition from the Senate, the Santa Casa de Misericordia and the Franciscans, because of the proximity to their institutions. So the Jesuits had recourse to a suttle device to erect this house.
The Professed House, as it now exists, is only a part of the original structure; the ravages of time and also the raging flames of 1663 devasted the third floor; it was repaired in 1783 but again the fire destroyed it. The third floor was demolished in 1886-87.
In one of the halls of this third-floor, the Relics of the Body of St. Francis Xavier was kept for 13 years; in this hall on 3rd November, 1614 the right hand was amputated till the elbow; the second amputation took place on 27th April 1619.
The Jesuits from this Professed House were expelled by the Portuguese. Government on 26th September 1759. After the expulsion, this house was placed under the care of the Archbishop of Goa. The Jesuits of the restored Society (restored in 1814) entered in their ancestral house only in 1956; they are the administrators of the House and the Basilica, but not the owners. The ownership is in the hands of the Archdiocese.
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There is a modern Art Gallery next to the church which opens at 9.00a.m. - 12.30 p.m. (10.30 a.m. on Sunday); 3.00 p.m. - 6.30 p.m., closed on Friday and during services. There is also a Millenium Exhibition entitled "Pilgrimage of the Heart" with computerized facilities on the lives of Jesus Christ, St. Francis Xavier & Blessed Joseph Vaz.- Don't skip it, you'll regret... |
