St Francis Xavier passed away on a Saturday, December 3, 1552, on the island of Sancian. This island, located off the south-eastern coast of China, often served as a refuge for smugglers. He had been ill since November 21, 1552, suffering from a high fever, and was advised to rest aboard the ship.
However, due to turbulent seas, he was transported to the island, where he was accommodated in a simple hut constructed from branches and mud, which had numerous openings that allowed cold winds to enter. His condition deteriorated daily, and he lacked medical care, basic comforts, medicine, and food. His only companion during this time was Antonio de Santa Fe, his Chinese friend. It is important to note that despite his frailty and high fever, he underwent bloodletting twice, which severely impacted his health.
Following his death, he was placed in a wooden coffin fashioned in the Chinese style, with his body covered in a substantial amount of lime, an oxide of calcium, to hasten decomposition. This was intended to facilitate the retrieval of his bones for transport when the ship set sail for Malacca. Some accounts suggest that this method was recommended by the sailors, while a letter from one João Eiro indicates that it was at the Saint’s own request, as he wished for his bones to be taken to Goa.
Antonio and Captain Francisco Aguiar, accompanied by two slaves, transported the coffin to the base of the hillock adjacent to a cross erected by the Portuguese. There, they interred the body and marked the grave with stones at the head. The frigid conditions were so severe that neither the Portuguese nor others attended the burial.
Francis Xavier, having endured strenuous maritime journeys, was consumed by his fervour for evangelisation, passing away at the young age of 46. In a letter dated January 29, 1552, he remarked that all his hair had turned grey. On February 17, 1553, as preparations were made for the ship’s departure to Malacca, the grave was opened to ascertain whether the bones could be transported.
Upon exhumation, the lime was removed, revealing to everyone’s astonishment that the body appeared as fresh as it had been at the time of burial. They examined various parts of the body to confirm this extraordinary occurrence, which seemed to defy the natural order. Despite being buried for two and a half months in a lime-filled coffin, the body showed no signs of decomposition.
To provide evidence to the ship’s Captain, a piece of flesh was excised from the left thigh, just above the knee, measuring the size of a finger. The resulting wound was profusely bleeding. Subsequently, the coffin was transported to the ship, which then set sail for Malacca, arriving on March 22, 1553.
The news spread rapidly throughout the region. The Vicar General conducted an examination of the body, which was then carried in a solemn procession to the Church of Our Lady of Mount, where it was interred in a crude manner at the entrance of the sacristy, without a proper coffin.
The grave was inadequately sized, and as the body was unceremoniously placed within, the neck was forcibly bent and broken due to the rough handling. It is speculated that the Governor of Malacca, D Alvaro de Ataide, who harboured animosity towards Xavier, may have been responsible for this treatment. Upon exhumation on the night of August 15, 1553, the body appeared remarkably preserved, along with the priestly vestments.
The handkerchief covering the face and the cushion were stained with dried blood. There was evidence of haemorrhage in the cervical area, damage to the nose, and potential fractures of the cervical vertebrae. Notably, there was an absence of cadaveric rigidity. Historical accounts do not indicate that the body was embalmed, decomposed, or emitted any foul odour. Meanwhile, news from Malacca reached Goa, prompting Lopo de Noronha, the Captain of the ship transporting the coffin to Goa, to anchor at Coulao. He then took a boat to Goa to inform them of the arrival of the Saint’s body.
Fr Melchior, the Provincial of the Jesuits, commissioned a magnificently adorned galleon to convey the joyful news to the Vice-Roy, the Senate, and the populace.
Accompanied by several religious figures and citizens, the Provincial set sail towards the ship ‘Santa Cruz’, which was transporting the body. It was near Bhatkal that he first sighted the Santa Cruz, which was enroute to Goa and flanked by numerous other vessels. The Viceroy, along with members of the nobility, went to greet the body upon its arrival. Old Goa was festooned with decorations, and the banks of the Mandovi River were similarly adorned.
Cannons from all the forts fired in a continuous salute to welcome the body, which reached Ribandar on the night of March 14, 1554, and was subsequently taken to the Church of Ajuda in Ribandar.
Afterward, the Viceroy returned to Old Goa, where he, along with the Archbishop, the Provincial, and the Senate, organized a grand reception. Six ships were dispatched to Ribandar to escort the Santa Cruz. The body was placed in a wooden coffin lined with damask, a gift from Xavier’s friend, Diogo Pereira.
The Viceroy, the Archbishop, the Senate, and the citizens of Old Goa awaited the body’s arrival at the Quay of Viceroys. On March 16, 1554, it was transported to the Church of S Paulo, accompanied by the ringing of bells from nearly 40 churches throughout Old Goa. The throngs were so immense that even the Viceroy was unable to catch a glimpse of the body.
Prior to the public display of the body, Viceroy, D Afonso de Noronha requested an examination by his physician, Dr Cosme de Saraiva, along with Dr Ambrosio Ribeiro, the Vicar General and Administrator of the Bishopric of Goa, to confirm its incorruption. Dr Saraiva provided a certificate, stating that he had personally observed and touched all parts of Padre Mestre Francisco Xavier’s body, particularly the abdomen, where he could feel the intestines. He noted that the body had not been embalmed or artificially preserved.
He further asserted that the thighs and other areas remained fleshy, indicating that neither physical nor medical means could have maintained such a condition, given that the individual had died a year and a half prior and had been buried for nearly a year, a fact he attested to under oath.
The body was displayed for public veneration for three days, after which it was buried for the third time near the main altar on the left side of the Church of S Paulo. Following the church’s demolition in 1560, the body was exhumed and stored in the Rector’s room, subsequently moved to the novice master’s room, then to the Chapel of S Tome, the sacristy, and ultimately transferred to the Casa Professa do Bom Jesus in 1624, after he was canonized on March12, 1622.
On March 16, 1554, when Melchior Nunes, Vice-Provincial and Rector of the College, witnessed the body upon the opening of the coffin, he communicated to S. Ignatius de Loyola, ‘I saw with my own eyes and touched with my own hands; I was incredulous until I beheld him’. During this initial exposition, D. Isabel de Caron, a Portuguese woman, bit off the fifth toe of the right foot, while another individual, John Bravo, a lay brother, severed a piece of flesh that appeared red and dry to place in a reliquary.
He was interred in three distinct countries, each characterized by unique climates and soil compositions. However, his body exhibited an extraordinary resistance to decomposition and putrefaction, unlike others buried in those same locations.
When Claudio Aquaviva, the Superior General of the Society of Jesus, requested a relic, Provincial Francisco Vieira opted to send a specimen that would convincingly demonstrate the phenomenon of incorruption.
In the early hours of November 3, 1614, under strict secrecy within one of the internal chapels, Bro. Tome Dias was instructed to sever the lower portion of the right arm, from the elbow to the fingers, in the presence of the Visitor, Provincial, Praepositor, and three Consultors.
This relic was subsequently dispatched to Rome, where it is now housed in a reliquary at the Church of Gesu. On April 27, 1619, the remaining section of the right arm, from the shoulder to the elbow, was also removed. This portion was divided into three segments and sent to the Jesuit Colleges in Malacca, Cochin, and Macau. There is no documented evidence of bleeding during these procedures, although some authors have indulged in imaginative interpretations.
In 1620, at the behest of Superior General Vetleschi, all internal organs and intestines were extracted from the body and distributed globally, including to Japan.
In 1630, the coffin was opened for the benefit of Fr Tranquillo Grasseti, a missionary who had travelled from Lisbon, and later to allow Fr Marcelo Mestrilli the opportunity to kiss the body and adorn it with the luxurious vestments he had brought, which were gifted by Queen Elisabeth of Spain. The coffin was officially opened for public veneration during the feast of the Saint.
Additionally, when notable dignitaries visited Goa, they often expressed a desire to kiss the body; on occasion, they were invited to Old Goa for this purpose. The exact number of times the coffin was opened remains unknown, as it was considered the “private property” of the Jesuits and treated accordingly.
During that era, there was an immense fascination with relics. Individuals sought to acquire these items, believed to serve as a connection between the earthly realm and the divine, promising various advantages to their owners. Consequently, many individuals took fragments of the Saint’s body or pieces of his garments. Those who had access to the body often felt entitled to distribute relics as gifts.
This practice subjected the Saint’s body to considerable treatment year after year. One must ponder the condition of the body under such circumstances. In 1744, under the leadership of Provincial Andre Pereira, Fr Francisco Rodrigues noted that ‘no portion of the body of the Saint was removed on this occasion’. The implication is clear.