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| St. Cajetan Church |
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History
St. Cajetan Church is located about half a kilometer away to the north east of the Se Cathedral in Old Goa. It was completed in the year 1661 and was built by Italian friars of the order of Theatines, who were people sent by Pope Urban VIII to preach Christianity. The church was named after the founder of the Theatine order, St. Cajetan, but the main altar of the Church is dedicated to Our Lady of Divine Providence. St. Cajetan Church is not very large in size but is still a tourist attraction because of its architecture.
St. Cajetan Church is an example of Corinthian architecture and is built of laterite blocks and plastered with lime which looks exquisite from the outer façade. The Church, keeping in sync with the Theatine architecture has no towers but has turrets on either side to serve as belfry (bell towers). There are columns and pilasters supporting a pediment which can be seen to have Corinthian influence. Also visible are four niches in which are kept the statues of the apostles.
The main body of St. Cajetan Church forms a Greek cross on plan internally with the body of the church being divided into a nave and two aisles. There are three altars on each side of the main altar. The three altars on the left side are dedicated to the Holy Family, Our Lady of Piety and St. Clare, while to the right are those of St. John, St. Cajetan and St. Agnes. These altars are carved and gilded in Baroque style like almost all churches in Goa with twisted shafts and figures of angles dominating in each and also have paintings depicting scenes from the life of St. Cajetan with Italian school influence. The church also has 4 piers that form the base for supporting a circular dome that rests on a drum and was crowned by a lantern. At the base of the dome is an inscription from Matthews Gospel.
Besides the architectural attraction offered by the church in plenty, St. Cajetan Church is also famous with the history and myths associated with it. It is known that in the middle of the nave, there is a well which remains covered. The presence of the well has led to the conjecture that the site was once the setting of a Hindu temple.
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Best time to visit
Goa has a pleasant climate all throughout the year except in the summer months. Summers last from March to June and are extremely hot with temperature reaching up to 40°C. Typically tourist footfall is very less in these months. Winters start from November and last till February and are the ideal time to visit the city.
Best time to visit St. Cajetan Church is from the month of October to February.
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Trivia
The church is said to have been built in resemblance of the Basilica of St Peter in Rome.
The Church of St. Cajetan is the only surviving domed church in Goa.
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Timing
The Church is open on all days be it a public holiday. The timings of the church are from 9:00 am to 7:00 pm.
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Travel Tools
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