Basilica of Bom Jesus : It is famous throughout the Roman Catholic world because it contains the tomb and mortal remains of St. Francis Xavier. A former pupil of St. Ignatius Loyola, the founder of the Jesuit order, St. Francis Xavier embarked on missionary voyages in 1541.

Apart from the richly gilded altars, the interior of the church is remarkable for it's simplicity. Construction began in 1594 and was completed in 1605. The focus of the church is the three tiered marble tomb of St. Francis, which took 10 years to build and was completed in 1698. The remains of the body are kept in silver casket, which one time was covered in jewels.

The incorrupt body of St. Francis Xavier : Goa's patron saint, died on 3 Dec 1552 after 10 years as tireless missionary. He died on the island of Sancian, off the coast of China. A servant has said to have emptied four sacks of quicklime in to his coffin to consume his flesh in case the order came to return the remains to Goa. Two months later the body was still in perfect condition. In the next year his remains were returned to Goa.

Church accepted the miracle only after a medical examination of the body in 1556 by viceroy's physician to establish that the body had not been embalmed. It was not until 1622 that cannonisation took place, but by then holy-relic hunters had started work on the incorupt body.

In 1614 the right arm was removed and divided between the Jesuits in Japan and Rome, and by 1636 parts of one shoulder blade and all the internal organs had been scattered through Southeast Asia.

By the end of the 17 century the body was in an advanced state of desiccation, and the miracle appeared to be over. The Jesuits decided to enclose the corpse in a glass coffin out of view, and it was not until the mid-19th century that the current cycle of 10 yearly exposition began, the next being in 2014.

An art gallery is in the building which offers a view of St Francis tomb from it's top.