Establishment of the Goa Inquisition

Timeline

1. 1540–1559Goa · GoaJesuits and the bishops of Portuguese India repeatedly requested extending the domestic inquisition to the East, to scrutinize New Christians, restrict public Hindu and Islamic rites, and standardize discipline in overseas dioceses. The Lisbon court and the papacy completed institutional preparations in the 1550s.
2. 1560Lisbon · PortugalCardinal Henrique, Inquisitor-General of Portugal, signed the order on March 2, 1560, authorizing the establishment of a tribunal in Goa and appointing Aleixo Dias Falcão and Francisco Marques as the first inquisitors, placing them under the Lisbon Holy Office rather than solely under local bishops.
3. 1560–1561Old Goa · GoaThe two inquisitors arrived in Old Goa together with the first Archbishop of Goa, Gaspar de Leão, established the court in the former governor's palace, issued an edict of grace, and began hearing cases of alleged heresy, secret Jewish faith, and violations of Catholic precepts. Goa thereby became the center of religious inquisition in the Portuguese East.