Chapel of St. Catherine

The Chapel of St. Catherine is a UNESCO World Heritage Site located in Old Goa, within the same compound as Se Cathedral and the Church and Convent of St. Francis of Assisi. Built in 1510 by Afonso de Albuquerque to commemorate his victorious entry into Goa on St. Catherine’s Day, it is considered one of the oldest surviving churches in the region. The chapel features Baroque architecture with a brown and white facade facing the Mandovi River and currently serves as a non-functional historic monument.

Visitors can expect to see a small, historic 16th-century chapel structure with Baroque architectural elements and a distinctive brown and white facade. Located near the Church of St. Francis of Assisi and accessed via a narrow path from a cross in front of that church, the site offers an opportunity to view early Portuguese colonial religious architecture in Old Goa. As a non-functional heritage monument, visitors observe the exterior and historical stone inscriptions rather than active worship services.

Erected in 1510 by Portuguese conqueror Afonso de Albuquerque immediately after the conquest of Goa, the chapel commemorates his entry into the city on St. Catherine's Day. Pope Paul III raised it to cathedral status in 1534 before the larger Se Cathedral was constructed. Governor Jorge Cabral ordered its expansion in 1550, and a new altarpiece was installed at that time. It represents the earliest phase of Portuguese ecclesiastical architecture in Asia.

As part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site 'Churches and Convents of Goa,' the chapel illustrates the evangelization of Asia and the spread of European architectural styles including Manueline, Mannerist, and Baroque forms adapted to local conditions. It stands as physical evidence of the beginning of Portuguese colonial presence and Catholic missionary activity in India, contributing to the unique Indo-Portuguese cultural fusion that developed over 450 years of Portuguese rule.