Churches Cathedrals Convents and Chapels of Goa, Churches Goa India

The city of Goa is located mid-west coast of India, and is bathed by the Indian Ocean. Afonso de Albuquerque, first viceroy of India, conquered the city in 1510. However, there are few vestiges of this first period of Portuguese rule, with only the portal of the Church of St. Francis of Assisi and the Church of the Rosary, the two examples of Manueline architecture.

It was between the end of the 16th century and throughout the 17th century that Goa reached its peak, with the construction of grandiose religious and civil buildings. The heritage built in Old Goa reflects the encounter of two cultures: the European and the Asian. The architecture is predominantly western while the decoration aspects like mode, taste and luxury are heavily Indian. From painting to sculpture, from decorative arts to furniture, exotic materials (ivory, mother-of-pearl, semi-precious stones, etc.) are used that characterize the originality of Indo-Portuguese art.

The built heritage in the city of Goa during the Portuguese presence remains essentially religious architecture, as the palaces and estates were almost lost due to largely adverse weather. Among the civilian buildings, prominent ones are the Fortress Palace of the Viceroys, the Palace of the Archbishops and the Palace of the House of Powder, dating from the 16th century.

The sacredness of religious buildings contributed significantly to their preservation by native populations. The religious architecture of Goa consists of a set of monuments built between the second half of the 16th century and the 17th century, a period that corresponds to the height of the Portuguese Empire in the East.

The Sé de Goa, begun in 1562, follows the typology employed in Portugal in the Portalegre Cathedral. The Church of Our Lady of Grace was founded by the Augustinian Friars, between 1597 and 1602. These two churches were a benchmark for the religious buildings built after a bit all over India. The Church of Bom Jesus, begun in 1594, the Church of Our Lady of Divine Providence, owned by the Order of Teatinos and the Church of S. Francisco de Assis, dating from the 17th century, are also examples of renaissance and Mannerist architecture built in the city Of Old Goa.

The chapel of the Monte, built at the top of a hill, dates from the end of century XVI. Contrary to what happened with other constructions, its location will have contributed to the maintenance of the original structure.

The Christian monuments belonging to Portuguese rule in Goa declared World Heritage by UNESCO in 1986 are Convent of St. Augustine, Church of Bom Jesus, Church of Our Lady of the Rosary, Church of St. Francis of Assisi, Cathedral of Santa Catarina and Church of Divine Providence (São Caetano).