One of the most famous religious buildings in Old Goa is rightly considered to be the St Catherine's Cathedral or as it is also known as Se Cathedral. St Catherine's Cathedral, or as it is also known as Se Cathedral. It is one of the one of the largest churches not only in India, but in all of Asia, and is named after Katerina Catherine of Alexandria.
The cathedral was built to commemorate the victory of the Portuguese forces, commanded by Afonso de Alberta. Afonso de Albuquerque commanded, over the Muslim army, which allowed him to to capture the cities of Goa in 1510. It coincided with the feast of St Catherine. in honour of St. Catherine, hence the cathedral was named after her. Construction began in 1552 on the orders of Governor George Cabral. the materials used to build the cathedral were...clay, mud and brushwood. So in 1562. during the reign of King Dom Sebastiano, a new design was drawn up. И was finally completed in 1619, and in 1640 the cathedral was consecrated.
The cathedral was built in the Manuelino style, a peculiar Portuguese version of the style of the Renaissance style, while the interior decoration is in the Corinthian style.
According to the idea of the cathedral had two towers-bell towers, but in 1776 one of them collapsed and, unfortunately, was never rebuilt. But in spite of this, the cathedral has lost none of its charm and grandeur. Now the remaining tower has a bell a bell called the golden bell because of its beautiful sound. It is recognised as the largest the largest in the state, and one of the finest in the world. In all, the cathedral has five large bells.
There are also 15 altars in the cathedral, located in eight different chapels. The main is the altar of St Catherine, on either side of which are beautiful antique paintings depicting the saint. Next to it is the chapel of the of the Divine Cross, in which it is said that Jesus himself appeared to the people in 1919. Jesus. Here you can also admire the marvellous wooden panels on which carved with scenes from the life of St Catherine.
The cathedral is truly unique, its magnificent architecture, grandeur and beauty will not leave anyone indifferent. And it's been rightly included in the list UNESCO World Heritage List.
