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One of Goa's
important institutions, Goa's
famous and magnificent churches
are largely a legacy of
Portuguese colonization
Church building was one of the
main occupations of the early
Portuguese and in fact one of
Vasco da Gama's main missions
for finding the sea route to
India was to "seek Christians
and spices".
Christianity was forced upon
with religious fervor by the
Portuguese during the period of
the "Inquisition" with wide
scale destruction of temples and
this continued till the official
end of the "Inquisition" in Goa
in 1812. Most of Goa's churches
were built on the very site of
former temples. The confiscated
lands of the temples were handed
over to the church and the
communidades. In fact, the first
Hindu temple allowed to be
constructed by the Portuguese in
300 years was in 1818 at Panaji.
With a significant population of
Goans being Christians for many
generations today, the Church is
an important factor in Goa's
social , cultural and religious
life. For example, the
contribution of the Church to
education in Goa is immense.
Today the churches are all part
of the Archdiocese of Goa and
function with its help, many are
also protected sites.
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 Se
Cathedral Church
One of the most
ancient and
celebrated religious
buildings of Goa,
this magnificent
16th century
monument to the
Roman Catholic rule
in Goa under the
Portuguese is the
largest church in
Asia. The Cathedral
is dedicated to St.
Catherine of
Alexandria on whose
feast day in 1510
Alfonso Albuquerque
defeated the Muslim
army and took
possession of the
city of Goa. Hence
it is also known as
St. Catherine's'
Cathedral.
The Cathedral was
commissioned by the
Portuguese Viceroy,
Redondo to be "a
grandiose church
worthy of the
wealth, power and
fame of the
Portuguese who
dominated the seas
from the Atlantic to
the Pacific". The
final edifice is
bigger than any of
the churches in
Portugal itself. |
 Ruins
of Church of St.
Augustine
This highly visible
landmark, a 46m-high
tower served as a
belfry and formed
part of the facade
of a magnificent
Church. One of the
most spectacular of
all monuments in Goa,
reproduced on
innumerable travel
brochures and
advertisments is the
St Augustine tower
in Old Goa.
Out of the more than
twenty fabulous
churches which once
existed in the old
city of Velha Goa,
only ten remain
today. And of these
four are actually
chapels. The
churches were
located on and
between seven hills
around the Velha Goa
region. |
 The Church of St.
Anne at Talaulim.
Ilhas
Of all the churches
in Goa, the most
ostentious and
notable for its
excellent
architeture is that
of St Anne. It was
reconstructed by
Mons Francisco do
Rego with his own
funds and with the
constributions of
some villagers.
Unfortunately he
could not complete
the task thus the
onus befell on Fr
Antonio Francisco da
Cunha for its
completion which he
did 1965. The main
altar is consecrated
to St Anne.
There is a belief
that the main altar
is pledged to this
beloved Saint due to
certain reasons as
narrated By Fr F de
Souza in his
‘Oriente Conquistado’
- In the island of
Goa (Tiswadi) in the
year 1577 some
devotees purchased
the site which came
to be known as
‘Quinta de Sant Ana’
where every week the
students of ‘Colegio
de S Paulo’ used to
indulge themselves
in some leisure
activities. |
 Basilica
of Bom Jesus
This is the only
church in Old Goa,
which is not
plastered on the
outside, the lime
plaster having been
stripped off by a
zealous Portuguese
conservationist in
1950.
Located at Old Goa,
10 kilometres east
of Panaji, the Bom
Jesus Basilica is a
World Heritage
Monument.
The foundation stone
of this remarkably
large church was
laid on 24 November
1594 and the church
was consecrated by
Fr. Alexia de
Menezes, the
Archbishop of Goa
and Primate of India
consecrated it when
it was completed on
15 May 1605. In 1946
it was raised to the
status of a minor
Basilica. |
 Reis
Magos Church
The small hamlet of
Reis Magos lies on
banks of the Mandovi
river and is home to
two famous landmarks
of Goa - the Reis
Magos fort and the
Reis Magos Church.
It is also one of
only three places in
Goa, where the
unique Feast of the
Three Wise Men is
held.
Reis Magos lies off
the main road, which
passes through the
fishing and
boat-building
villages of Betim
and Verem on the way
to the more famous
tourist spots of
Calangute and
Candolim beaches. At
the Verem Bazar, a
turning past a Hindu
tree shrine takes
the traveller to
Reis Magos. |
 St.
Cajetan Church
The large and
beautiful Church of
St. Cajetan, lies
about half a
kilometer away to
the north east of
the Se Cathedral,
and quite near the
ruins of the
Viceregal Palace.
This church, which
is said to have been
modelled on the
original design of
the Basilica of
St.Peter in Rome, is
architecturally
Corinthian both
externally and
internally while the
gilded altars with
rich carvings are in
rich Baroque style.
The Church building
itself is built of
laterite blocks
which are lime
plastered.
The Church of St.
Cajetan as it is
popularly known,
(originally called
The Church of Our
Lady of Divine
Providence) and the
Convent of St.
Cajetan were built
by Italian friars of
the Order of
Theatines, (known in
Portuguese as
Clérigos Regulares
da Divina
Providência).
Although the church
altar is dedicated
to Our Lady of
Divine Providence,
the church is named
after the founder of
the Theatine order,
St. Cajetan, a
contemporary of St
Francis Xavier. |
 Church
of St. Francis of
Assissi
To the west of the
Se Cathedral is the
former palace of the
Archbishop that
connects the Se
Cathedral to the
Convent and Church
of St. Francis of
Assisi. The
structure is built
of laterite blocks
and is
lime-plastered.
The church faces
west and has a nave
with three chapels
on either side, a
choir, two altars in
the transept and a
main altar. To the
north of the main
altar is a belfry
and a sacristy. The
convent, which forms
an annexure to the
church, now houses
the Archaeological
Museum. |
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