These Must-Visit Ancient Churches in Goa Will Charm You
As I walked through the old Goan alleyways, I came upon one church after another, each nestled away in a secluded corner but oozing an architectural style that drew my attention immediately. Inevitably, I turned my attention to their history. Goa has not always been a Portuguese colony. The Muslim Sultanate of Bijapur established Goa as a port on the Mandovi River in the 15th century. Afonso de Albuquerque seized control of the city in 1510, and Goa remained the capital of Portuguese India until the early twentieth century.
Most Goan churches and monasteries were knocked together during the first two centuries of Portuguese rule. Each of these monuments in Goa is a one-of-a-kind representation of evangelism and historical events. The city was formerly known as the “Rome of the East” because of these numerous Catholic church complexes. The religious monuments in Goa went on to inspire the evolution of Western art genres such as Baroque, Manueline, and Mannerist throughout Asia. The ‘Manueline Church of the Rosary,’ is the oldest in the state, and it was built in the mid-1500s.
The internal embellishment of altars, altarpieces, paintings, and furniture represents the labour of local artists, but the architectural forms follow the European canon. These architectural formats can be noticed, at the holy places in Goa, most of which are now UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Goa was taken by the Indian Republic in 1961, ending almost 451 years of Portuguese rule there. But the Portuguese legacy lives on! Something I discovered through its stunning cathedrals, and you may too, by visiting one or all of them. Churches in Goa I’ve seen, and I recommend, are included on this list.
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St. Michael’s Church, Assagao
During my time in Anjuna, I came across this historic Roman Catholic church in Assagao while driving around the neighbourhood. One of Goa’s oldest churches, St. Michael’s Church in Anjuna, is still standing. In early colonial Portuguese India, it was built in 1613 to serve Goan Catholics. This Baroque-style chapel is on the Anjuna Beach Road near the Chapora Junction, surrounded by tall coconut trees. Lighting fixtures that look like those seen in classic European street lamps decorate the black metal gate that guards the entrance. The admiringly dramatic Baroque architectural style that ruled Italy in the 1600s will be the first thing you notice as you walk past that gate at St. Michael’s Church in Assagao.
The 13 arched carvings on the outside, five on the first level, five on the second storey, and three on the top are symbolic of the Counter-Reformation, which celebrated the Catholic church’s worth. New probes of light and shadow and dramatic intensity mark it. St. Michael’s Church combines Renaissance architecture’s Roman lexicon in a new rhetorical way to portray the Catholic Church’s triumph over the absolutist state. The plans for the church buildings are established, on the Italian model of the basilica with a crossing dome and nave, but the architectural treatment is quite different.
The composition of columns and pilasters, central massing, protrusion and focal decoration add to the structure’s complexity. While there is an element of playfulness with the traditions of classic design, the church retains a degree of rigidity.
Our Lady of Piety Chapel, Chinvara
In Chinvar, about three minutes away from its parent church, Michael the Archangel Church in Anjuna, lies Our Lady of Piety Chapel in Gothic style. It’s a short drive from Indumati’s place of business. On the ground floor, the church has four blue-coloured spherical cathedral doors whereas, on the second floor, it has three tall arched windows. The small arched window on the right is part of a tower attached to the main building. With cathedral hoops adorning its sides, the roof of Our Lady of Piety Chapel has a pyramid-shaped central roof section.
This church, which was built in a neo-gothic, or revived gothic, style, exudes a unique style of architecture that is easy to recognise from others. The carved columns that rise vertically, symbolising radical ideas, and traditional sensitivities, demonstrate the precision of design aspects. This gorgeous chapel, surrounded by tall coconut palms, is in desperate need of renovation, and a fresh coat of paint might give it a new lease on life.
Panjim Church
One of the most beautiful churches I saw in Panjim is the Panjim Church, or Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception Church, located at the intersections of the main street. The church is on a hill with a view of the plaza below. Garcia da Orta is visible from atop the cliff to the southeast. A laterite stone walkway with zig-zag stairs leads to the church, surrounded by lines of tall palm trees. These stairs were added, to the church in the 18th-century. In 1541, a chapel was built in Panaji to suit the religious requirements of Portuguese sailors at their first port of call in colonial Portuguese in India. The community was a modest fishing village at the time.
In 1600, the tiny chapel was supplanted by the present-day church to minister to the residents and sailors. In 1871, Goa’s second-largest church bell saw its way to the church bell tower. It was salvaged from the Augustinian Monastery on Holy Hill after the monastery was demolished. The church’s exterior is painted white to commemorate Mary, the Immaculate Virgin, decorated with Portuguese Baroque architectural elements. The bell of the Augustinian Monastery is in the belfry atop the façade. Two towers flank the entrance, with a taller belfry in the centre. It is known as Panjim’s “crown” and can be seen from afar. A nave and a transept are also present in the church. The interiors are simple but colourful.
Mother Mary is honoured on the majestic main altar. Two smaller finely carved and gold-plated altars flank the main altar on either side. The crucifixion of Jesus is on the left, while Our Lady of the Rosary is depicted on the right with Marble St Peter and Paul bordering them on each side. On special occasions, blue and white flowers are placed on the wooden structural parts of the vaulted ceiling above the altars, representing the church’s external colour scheme. In the south transept, to the right of the main altar, the statues of St. Francis Xavier are housed in a glass case.
Church of Mae de Deus
The Church of Mae De Deus, a spectacular sight that is sharply delineated and forbidding, is situated about 13.3 kilometres from Panaji along NH 66. It seems like a storybook castle with Gothic spires and spotless white walls. While driving from Panjim to Cansaulim, I briefly stopped at the Church of Mae De Deus, which otherwise is easily accessible by cab or auto-rickshaw. This Church at Saligao, in the Bardez taluka, was built in 1873 and is set in magnificent surroundings of the traditional Goan countryside. It is one of the world’s most beautiful Gothic constructions, stunningly illuminated at night.
This church is an outstanding example of Neo-Gothic architecture, presently housing the miraculous Mae de Deus (Mother of God) figure, recovered from the remains of the Mae de Deus convent in Old Goa. Its spires, each with a cross atop, is one of its most distinguishing features. The church also commemorates the feast of Our Lady, Mother of God, on the first Sunday in May. A spectacular procession is held on this occasion, followed by a fireworks show. Another statue of Mother God is in the church’s courtyard, made of black stone. Before the construction of this church, the Catholics of Saligao were members of the Holy Trinity parish church in Nagoa, a nearby settlement.
Stones from three sites, from two of their holy institutions, are said, to have been used in the construction. The black stone came from the remnants of the Mae de Deus convent in Daujim, and the materials for the second batch came from the Chapel of Our Lady of Victory. A massive buttress supports the church’s walls, and its main door is almost a full storey high with a domed design. A figure of Our Lady is in a niche in the façade above the entryway. Monday through Sunday, the church is open from 9.00 a.m. to 12.30 p.m. and from 3.00 p.m. to 5.00 p.m.
Three Kings Chapel
Near Velsao and Arrosim, in the heart of South Goa’s Cansaulim district, is the Three Kings Chapel, a 12 km drive from Vasco do Gama. The Kings Chapel in Goa has long been thought to be one of the most haunted places in Goa and India, but I can’t say for sure if it is or isn’t. According to local mythology, the church is haunted by the monarchs’ ghosts. Regardless of the terrifying stories associated with it, this little chapel set on a hilltop near Cansaulim offers a lovely picture of South Goa, complete with amazing architecture and coconut trees filling the streets below. This cathedral is fascinating not just for the ghost stories but also for the profusion of flora.
Legend has it, that this church was held by three monarchs who fought and eventually killed each other for power and supremacy. The spirits of the kings are said to still patrol the grounds, calmly defending the realm. Several visitors to the church have reported strange, ghostly experiences but, the view from the vantage point is marvellous. People who walked late at night have described feeling a tremendous presence. The phantoms have never hurt anyone, although many people claim to have felt them. Be there before 6 p.m. if you’re inquisitive, as guests aren’t allowed on the church grounds after nightfall.
If you like what you see, save these churches for your future trip to Goa and visit them to marvel at their architecture, history, and tranquil atmosphere.
