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Basilica of Bom Jesus at Old Goa. In the chapel in the right transept,
there is a two tier mausoleum of St. Francis Xavier. It was designed
in Florence by Giovanni Battista Foggini, and gifted by a devotee
of the Saint, the Grand Duke of Tuscany, Cosimo III.
On this marble mausoleum is set the silver casket, designed by
the Italian Jesuit Marcello Mastrilli and executed by Goan goldsmiths.
There within the silver casket, in a crystal urn lie the Relics
of the Body of St. Francis Xavier, who died on December 3, 1552.
The Saint affectionately addressed as ‘Goencho Saib’,
or the Lord of Goa in the local language, is believed to grant
the petitions of the devout who pray at his mausoleum. The day
of his feast, the 3rd of December, attracts crowds from all over
the world.
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