Goa’s 16th century witnessed a religious and cultural transformation as missionary zeal turned the territory into a hub of Christianization. The Franciscans were the first to arrive with the Portuguese, followed by the Jesuits in 1542 and the Dominicans in 1548. By 1554–55, the Portuguese authorities were compelled to divide Goa’s religious jurisdiction among the three orders: the Franciscans were assigned Bardez, the Jesuits Salcete, and both Jesuits and Dominicans shared Ilhas. The Augustinians joined later, in 1572.
The arrival of St. Francis Xavier in 1542 and the establishment of the Seminary of Santa Fé in 1544 paved the way for a steady influx of Jesuits into Goa. Known as the “schoolmasters of Europe,” many were highly educated, with several trained at Paris’ Sorbonne. Their intellectual rigor, organizational methods, and missionary zeal won admiration but also stirred controversy. Their influence grew so strong that they were eventually expelled from Goa in 1759, though their legacy endures more than 250 years later.
Salcete: The Jesuit Stronghold
Salcete became the mainstay of Jesuit activity. Here, they built 25 churches, each distinct in size and façade, yet all carrying identifiable Jesuit motifs. The Jesuit monogram IHS appears prominently, alongside the dove of the Holy Spirit, often above the main altar or façade. The Church of the Holy Spirit in Margão famously features a dove with an unusual torso, a design believed to have been outlined by Jesuit architect Br. Francisco Aranha.
Devotions introduced by the Jesuits also shaped Goan spirituality. Many churches and homes housed altars to St. Michael, St. Sebastian, St. Roque, and St. Anna, saints particularly venerated in the Iberian Peninsula. Curiously, St. Bartholomew, despite being patron of some churches, was gradually sidelined, possibly because of the similarity of his name to the local deity Betal.
Ilhas: The Jesuit Gateway
Ilhas, shared with the Dominicans, was where Jesuits began their Goa mission. The College of St. Paul and the Basilica of Bom Jesus became landmark institutions, while Chorão and Divar islands served as vital centers of Jesuit activity.
In addition to Salcete’s motifs, some churches in Ilhas displayed the pelican feeding its young, a symbol of Christ nourishing believers through the Eucharist. Though originally an Augustinian emblem, Jesuits in Goa adopted it, possibly due to its association with St. Francis Xavier’s missionary imagery in Asia. The pelican motif can still be found in churches at Mormugão, Margão, and Nagoa.
Post-Expulsion Jesuit Influence
Even after their 1759 expulsion, Jesuit influence persisted. Many chapels erected in Salcete in the subsequent decades bore the IHS monogram, doves, and pelicans. Examples include the churches at Velim, Cavelossim, Dramapur, and Camurlim.
Historians note that conflicts between the Archdiocese of Goa and the Jesuits over property and jurisdiction may explain these anomalies. In many cases, chapels built without archdiocesan approval were later legitimised, yet the Jesuit emblems remained intact. This suggests that the structures were originally Jesuit-built and subsequently regularised.
Enduring Legacy
The Jesuits ministered in Salcete for nearly two centuries, leaving behind not only churches and chapels but also traditions, wells, lakes, and oral histories tied to their presence. Even after their removal, Jesuit-baptised Catholic communities continued to honour their memory by preserving Jesuit symbols in local religious spaces.
Today, the Jesuit imprint remains unmistakable in Goa’s landscape, from the grand Basilica of Bom Jesus housing the relics of St. Francis Xavier to the many parish churches and chapels still bearing the symbols of their spirituality.