Goan Catholics are an ethno-religious community of Indian Christians adhering to the Latin Rite of the Catholic Church from the Goa state, in the southern part of the Konkan region along the west coast of India. They are Konkani people and speak the Konkani language.
Christian maidens of Goa meeting a Portuguese nobleman seeking a wife, from the Códice Casanatense (c. 1540)
The Sé Cathedral dedicated to St. Catherine of Alexandria, in Old Goa, was built by the Portuguese in 1510. It is one of the oldest churches in Goa and one of the largest in Asia. It also holds a miraculous cross that is venerated to date.
Distribution of Goan Catholics in India
A traditional Portuguese-influenced villa of a Goan Catholic family
Konkani is an Indo-Aryan language spoken by the Konkani people, primarily in the Konkan region, along the western coast of India. It is one of the 22 scheduled languages mentioned in the Indian Constitution, and the official language of the Indian state of Goa. It is also spoken in Karnataka, Maharashtra, Kerala, Gujarat as well as Damaon, Diu & Silvassa.
Konkani Inscription with 'Maee Shenvi' of 1413 AD, Nagueshi, Goa.
Modern day Goan Konkani in Devanagari
Entrance to Konkani section of the Golden Heart Emporium, Margao, Goa
The campus of the Thomas Stephens Konknni Kendr (TSKK), a research institute working on issues related to the Konkani language, located at Alto Porvorim, near Panaji in Goa
