Se Cathedral Old Goa, Goa, India

The Se Cathedral is dedicated to St. Catherine. It is also known to be the oldest and the most celebrated religious buildings in Goa and has the prestige of being the seat of Archdiocese of Goa. According to history, Alfonso Albuquerque in 1510 defeated the Muslim army on the feast day of St. Catherine of Alexandria and took possession of Goa. The construction of this imposing church began in 1562 during the reign of King Dom Sebastiao and substantially completed by 1619. The main altars however were not finished until the year 1652. It was consecrated in 1640. This 16th century monument took 80 long years to complete. It is also called St. Catherine’s Cathedral.

The word Sé is Portuguese for See. The Se Cathedral was built to commemorate the victory of the Portuguese under Afonso de Albuquerque over a Muslim army, leading to the capture of the city of Goa in 1510. Since the day of the victory happened to be on the feast of Saint Catherine, the cathedral was dedicated to her. It was commissioned by Governor George Cabral to be enlarged in 1552 on the remains of an earlier structure. Construction of the church began in 1562 in the reign of King Dom Sebastião. The cathedral was completed in 1619 and was consecrated in 1640.

It had two towers, but one collapsed in 1776 and was never rebuilt. Mill Stones from the Gun Powder factory preserved at the church. In 1953, the cathedral was presented with “The Golden Rose” by Venerable Pope Pius XII. The Golden Rose is a gold ornament, which the Popes of the Catholic Church have traditionally blessed and conferred as a token of reverence or affection. It is placed on the tomb of St. Francis Xavier. The first Lithuanian Jesuit missionary in China, Andrius Rudamina, arrived in India in Goa on 22 August 1625. Almost 400 years later, 2015, a memorial stone bearing Andrius Rudamina’s name was erected in the courtyard of Se Cathedral in Old Goa.