The name 'Old Goa' is a recent creation. Ironic isn't it. The name came into existence in the 1960s through a monthly magazine. According to the Goan historian late Padre Moreno de Souza, postal letters were returned as the name 'Old Goa' was unknown at that time. Old Goa is an abandoned city. The city was abandoned in the XVIII Century due to plague.
The city was established in the XV Century by Adil Shahis of Bijapur, present day Vijayapura. It was fortified city then. Then came the Portuguese invasion, the Adil Shahis suffered defeat. Under the Portuguese rule the city grew immensely as it was a spices trading center. Trading wasn't the only intention, spread Christianity was the other. Hindu people were forcefully converted, a time period which is called Inquisition. Destruction of Hindu temples, conversion and cultural transformation continued till end of Inquisition in 1812. Grand looking churches were built, many of them over the ruins of Hindu temples. Along with churches, convents, schools, and hospitals were also built. The city was a very active place until it was deserted due to plague.
In the present time, Old Goa is like an open air museum of historical edifices. Each of the edifice a unique piece, different architectures, some in original condition, some are restored and a few in ruins. For a tourist, Old Goa has a lot to show. A bit of planning is required if one wishes to see all the places listed below.
Basilica of Bom Jesus: This happens to be the most visited tourist attraction of Old Goa. In fact most tourists start their tour from this monument constructed during Portuguese occupation. ASI inscription at the site describes it as follows: The construction of basilica of Bom Jesus was started in 1594 and upon completion it was consecrated in 1605 the church is cruciform on plan. Its three storied façade has a main entrance flanked by two smaller entrances. Entire façade has moulded basalt casing and the remaining part is exposed in laterite. Inscribed at the top of the façade, the letters "IHS" symbolise the first three letters of Jesus in Greek. This is just a part of the four para description. The interior is richly decorated with complex awe inspiring sculptures. The most sought after artifact here is the preserved corpse which is said to be the mortal remains of St. Francis Xavier. Though entry to the church is free, a museum within the church is ticketed.
Ruins of St. Augustine church: One of the largest churches during its time. Presently only a tower remains of the once magnificent structure. It was constructed between 1597 and 1602 using laterite. Dedicated to Our Lady of Grace, this church was built by the Augustine order. The Augustin order was expelled in 1835. The church was abandoned, subsequently neglect lead to its ruin leaving behind a sixty feet tall tower.
Chapel of St. Catherine: A plague planted at the site describes this monument as follows: This chapel was built in 1513 A.D. by Alfonso de Albuquerque to commemorate his entry into the city on St. Catherine's day was further enlarged in 1550 by George Cabral the governor and rebuilt in 1852 of laterite blocks. It has a tower on either side of the facade. The interior is plain having one altar.
Church of St. Francis of Assisi: A plague at this historical church describes this monument as follows: This church was built in 1661. The three tier facade has octagonal tower on each side and in the central niche there is a statue of St. Michael. The main entrance is decorated with circular pilasters and rosette band. The stylar nave is barrel-vaulted while the crossing is rib-vaulted which supports the choir. The internal buttress walls, separating the chapels and supporting the gallery on top, have frescoes showing floral designs. Above the tabernacle, in the main altar, is a large statue of St. Francis of Assisi and Jesus on the cross. Statues of St. Peter and St. Paul are seen below. The adjoining walls of nave retain painted panels depicting scenes from the life of St. Francis of Assisi.
Se Cathedral: This cathedral dedicated to St. Catherine of Alexandria was built in 1510 CE to commemorate the capturing of Goa by the Portuguese on the day of the feast of Saint Catherine. It is the most imposing building at Old Goa. In this cathedral are five bells, amongst them the golden bell is said to be the biggest. Another interesting artifact is the large hanging silver oil-lamp. Since this is a east-facing cathedral, it makes to see it in the morning hours.
Chapel of St. Cajetan: This XVII Century church has an Italian connection since it was built by monks of the Order of Theatines. Its hemispherical dome is similar to the dome of St. Peter Basilica at Rome. Inside the church are statues of St. Matthew, St. Peter, St. Paul, and St. John the evangelist. A Latin inscription “domus mea domus orationis” which means “my house is the house of prayer” is etched inside.
Chapel of Our Lady of the Mount: Built between 1510 and 1519 CE this Roman Catholic church dedicated to the Virgin Mary is one of the oldest in Old Goa. It is situated on a hill overlooking Mandovi river. Like most churches, it is built of laterite. The structure was in ruins until it was restored recently. This chapel courtyard is the venue for Monte Music Festival which is held in the month of November.
Church of Saint John of God: This church was built in towards the end of XVII Century by members of the order of Saint John of God. The members belonged to a hospital in Mozambique and, on arriving at Goa founded hospital there. The establishment ceased to exist after 1835 CE. The church is an interesting structure. Its façade is a typical Goan gable façade with three sections on two levels with one central door. Two three-storey towers flank the façade. The building was in state of ruins for a few decades before it was restored in 1952.
Royal Chapel of St. Anthony: This XVII Century chapel is situated opposite to the ruins of St. Augustine. This church was of great regard amongst the Portuguese since it was dedicated to the national saint of Portugal i.e. St. Anthony. This Church was closed in the year of 1835 and reopened in 1894. The Royal Chapel's architecture is interesting. Its facade is a semicylinder topped by a quadrant dome. Its interiors is dominated by three arches and blue walls. Presently in a poor condition, one could imagine the beauty of the interiors.
Arch of Viceroy: Viceroy’s Arch is a laterite structure built in 1599 CE by the then Viceroy Francisco da Gama in memory of his grandfather Vasco Da Gama. On the arch's riverside face is an idol of Vasco da Gama in his uniform. On the other face is a brass idol of St. Catherine. The arch served as the main entrance for the Old Goa once. It is said that a viceroy on assuming the office would come to the arch in a procession and the ceremonial key to the office was handed over. Later when Old Goa city was abandoned, the arch was a state of neglect until its restoration in 1954.
Gate of Adil Shah Palace: Though this arch is clearly a part of a Hindu temple doorway, plagues planted at the site describes it as follows: The gate of the palace of Adil Shah this gate, made of basalt, consists of two pillars decorated with mouldings and fragmentary lozenge shaped perforateil screens. The lintel above the pillars is not original towards the inner side. Some structural remains of laterite have been exposed which might form part of this complex. The palace of Adil Shah was a magnificent building which became the residence of the Portuguese governors till 1695 and was afterwards used by them on festive occasions. Subsequently, the palace building was demolished in 1820 by the orders of the government. Going by the arch design it belonged to a temple, probably built during Kadamba times. Probably Adil Shahis demolished the temple barring the surviving arch. Then a palace was raised over it. Later when the Portuguese took over, the palace was demolished however the arch was left as is. If archaeologists conduct a thorough study of the land around this arch they might unearth temple ruins.
Arch of Conception: Old Goa was a fortified city during Adil Shahi rule. The city had rampart walls and a moat around it. There were four gateways namely When the Portuguese took over, the walls were dismantled and the rubble dumped into the moat. This is one of the four gateways namely- Quay gate, Baçais gate, Riverside gate and Mandovim gate. The first two gates were integrated into different buildings, the third gate was demolished and the last one i.e. the Mandovim gate survived. During the Portuguese inquisition, this gate came to be known as the Gate of the Punished where the condemned people were made to pray before an image of Our Lady placed in a niche over the gate’s archway. Later the gate was renamed after Our Lady of the Conception. More details about this monument can be found at this page.
St. Paul's College Gate: This gateway presently unconnected to any premises was the gateway to The Church of St. Paul. The institution was founded by two priests, Diogo de Borba and Miguel Vaz for the purpose of training young converts. The college building was constructed between Nov 1541 and Jan 1543. The college is said to have had a vast library, a hospital, hostel for converts and a printing press. The church was demolished in 1560 due to its fragile condition and construction of a larger church commenced which was opposed by other churches here. The building was set on fire several times between 1591 and 1675. One interesting fact to note is that the mortal remains of St. Francis Zavier was kept in a silver box at this church before moving it to Basilica of Bom Jesus. By 1827 the college and church were in a bad shape. In 1827 the Portuguese government put an end to the institution by ordering its demolition. Despite the college's turbulent past, its gateway survived the forces.
Millstones of gunpowder factory: Portuguese were the first of Europeans to land on the Indian subcontinent. With the arrival of Europeans came their language, customs, culture and technologies. Their conquests were driven by advanced warfare tactics called artillery i.e. large calibre guns like cannons. Cannons required ammunition which is gunpowder and stone/steel balls. The Portuguese had mills to produce gunpowder and, probably foundries to make steel balls. Large grinding stones were used for the production of gunpowder in Casa de Polvora, Paneli. The mill stones were salvaged from factory site at Paneli and kept for public display near the historical museum. It is said that raw material for making millstones were brought from a quarry in Maharashtra. While on this topic, readers might be interested to know about the gunpowder mill inside Chitradurga fort.
Archaeological Museum of Goa: This museum is situated behind Se Cathedral and next to Church of St. Francis of Assisi. The museum exhibits artifacts of prehistoric period to medieval period, with a focus on relics from Portuguese time. There are two larger than life size bronze statues, portraits of the Viceroys of Goa, postage stamps, coins of various kingdoms, wooden sculptures, inscriptions, maps, arms, etc. Apart from the ASI museum there's also a Museum of Christian Art and Wax museum.
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