Sé Cathedral
Across the central precinct from Bom Jesus, Sé Cathedral opens the pilgrimage toward the local Church whose worship continues here.
- Location
- Old Goa, India 15.5037° N · 73.9123° E
- Type
- Cathedral
- Dedication
- Saint Catherine of Alexandria, virgin and martyr
From the missionary’s shrine to the cathedral
After praying before Xavier’s relics, cross toward the cathedral and sit in the nave.
The mission you have remembered at Bom Jesus continues in a people: Goan families, parish communities, priests and those preparing to serve the Church. This is a place for their worship as well as yours. Pray for the bishop and his people, and join Mass when the cathedral’s program allows.
A cathedral with a living parish
The present cathedral belongs to the sixteenth- and seventeenth-century building history of Portuguese Old Goa. It is dedicated to Saint Catherine of Alexandria, whose feast falls on November 25, the date of the Portuguese capture of Goa in 1510. The Church’s mission here unfolded alongside colonial rule, including episodes of coercion and persecution; the living faith of Goan Catholics cannot be reduced to the colonial state. Today the cathedral serves its diocese and parish. The archdiocese celebrated its Chrism Mass here in March 2026 and priestly ordinations in April. During the eighteenth solemn exposition, from November 21, 2024 to January 5, 2025, Xavier’s relics were brought from Bom Jesus for public veneration. Cathedral parishioners helped receive pilgrims. That temporary arrangement has ended; the basilica remains his permanent shrine.
Approach the white façade, then enter the nave before lingering at individual chapels. At the principal altar, the dedication to Saint Catherine gives a Catholic focus to the scale of the building. Preserve silence where people are praying, and follow barriers protecting historic fabric.
The cathedral of the Archdiocese of Goa and Daman
The principal altar dedicated to Saint Catherine of Alexandria
Temporary host of the 2024–25 Xavier exposition, now concluded
Spiritual Significance
The cathedral belongs to a living diocese and parish. The older buildings also carry the history of Portuguese rule, religious orders and Goan communities. Evangelization and colonial power were intertwined; the faith of Goan Catholics cannot be reduced to the colonial state or its monuments.
How to Visit
Allow about 45–60 minutes for prayer and a measured visit, plus the Mass you arrange. Approach from Bom Jesus with time for the road crossing and cathedral entrance. Ask the parish about liturgies, confession, temporary visitor restrictions and the entrance appropriate to your mobility needs. Pray for Goan families, priests and those preparing for ordination. Ask Saint Catherine for courage to bear witness to Christ. Leave a little silence for the intentions carried by the people who worship here each week.
- Cathedral and parish worship within the Archdiocese of Goa and Daman. Confirm the program for your date with the parish.
Confirm the cathedral’s worship and visitor arrangements.
Parish life and diocesan celebrations take priority over visitor circulation.
Prayer and preparation
- The 2026 Chrism Mass and ordinations confirm an active cathedral; their event times are not recurring visitor or Mass hours.
- Allow time for road crossings, heat and rain. Arrange entrance-to-entrance vehicle help if necessary; do not infer everyday wheelchair access from special exposition arrangements.
- Do not assume the adjoining museum shares the cathedral’s access arrangements, opening or admission.
Map
St. Catherine’s cathedral parish publications and the Archdiocese of Goa and Daman document the cathedral’s living worship and its reception of pilgrims during the 2024–25 exposition. Bom Jesus is Xavier’s permanent shrine.
October 12, 2026