Church of St. Francis of Assisi, Baroque church in Old Goa, India

The Church of St. Francis of Assisi is a Baroque structure in Old Goa featuring octagonal towers on its facade and a central niche housing a statue of St. Michael. The interior is organized with rib-vaulted crossings and a barrel-vaulted central nave.

Portuguese Franciscan friars built the original chapel in 1517, which was modified multiple times over the following decades until the current structure was completed in 1661. These transformations reflect the changing architectural preferences and religious evolution of the colonial period.

The church is also known as Igreja do Espírito Santo e Convento de São Francisco, and the adjoining convent now houses an Archaeological Survey of India museum. The floor slabs carry numerous inscriptions and coats of arms, and the apsidal walls retain painted panels of St. Francis's life. The gilded altarpiece of 1670 shows Christ embracing St. Francis.

The church sits approximately 10 kilometers east of Panaji and is easily accessible from the main road. An adjacent convent functions as an archaeological museum that complements your visit.

The Manueline entrance portal survives from the earlier building: dark stone carved in three undulating bands and set with armillary spheres, the emblem of King Manuel I. A large granite cross stands in front of it. The 1661 rebuilding kept the old doorway and the original floor plan.