PilgrimstaysDeclared by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site in 1986, the ruins of St Augustine Church, Goa are one of seven such sites, all of which are located in Old Goa. Velha Goa was the capital of the Portuguese in India until 1843, when they moved to Panjim or Nova Goa as it was named then. This church was considered as one of the three great Augustinian churches in the Iberian world along with El Escorial in San Lorenzo (the historical residence of the King of Spain) and the Monastery of São Vicente de Fora ( a 17th-century church and monastery in the city of Lisbon). The Portuguese colony of Goa, especially Velha Goa, was the epicentre of evangelisation, from where Christianity spread to the East. The city which had a population of around 200,000 in 1543 was the headquarters of all the religious orders that came to Goa. The Augustinians friars landed in Goa in 1587 and commenced building the church atop the Monte Santo or Holy Hill in 1597. When completed in 1602, the complex comprised of the church of Our Lady of Grace, the Convent of Saint Augustine, the College of Populo and the Seminary of St Guilherme. At the time of its consecration the church of Our Lady of Grace originally contained eight chapels, four altars and four towers each standing four storeys high. Inside the church was a high altar, with a richly carved retable as a background and adorned by soaring columns to complement the impressive sanctorum. Installing the massive vault or high ceiling above the altar, was a complex engineering feat. It is said to have collapsed twice while being constructed. A massive loft near the altar could hold a choir large enough to do justice to a Cathedral of this magnitude. The dimensions of the grand St Augustine Church, Goa are so impressive that it ranked high amongst the great Imperial cathedrals of the Renaissance era. In 1835, the Augustinians were compelled to abandon the church, in the wake of repressive policies of the then Portuguese government. Once left to the elements, the church crumbled into oblivion one piece at a time. The vault collapsed in 1846 and so did the convent soon after. In 1871, the bell was moved from the tower to the church of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception at Panjim, where it remains to date. Of the many imposing structures that once straddled the Monte Santo, only the belfry which soared 150 feet stands. Its story doesn’t end here, for by the late 1980’s it became clear that the St Augustine Church, Goa held greater treasures. Archaeologists from the Soviet Union and Georgia began excavations to trace the relics of Ketevan the Martyr. Kakheti, a kingdom of Georgia was invaded by Shah Abbas I, the ruler of Persia. Queen Ketevan who had ascended the throne on the death of her husband, was asked to join the Shah’s harem and convert to Islam, or be tortured and executed. The Queen chose the latter and was martyred on 13 September 1624. Before her death however, Queen Ketevan had befriended two Augustinian monks. After she was buried, the faithful monks dug up her remains and smuggled them out to Goa. An ancient Portuguese document suggests that the remains were entombed in a black sarcophagus kept at the convent of the Augustinian monks in Goa. Bone fragments excavated by the ASI in 2005, were found to contain DNA structure absent in India, besides confirming they were that of a woman. In light of these findings and supported by historical evidence, the archaeologists concluded that the bone fragments were from the remains of Queen Ketevan. Although not much stands today of what was once a towering edifice, a visit to this World Heritage Site is a must for any visitor to Goa, who would like to soak in the imperial flavour of colonial Portuguese India.
When completed in 1602, the complex comprised of the church of Our Lady of Grace, the Convent of Saint Augustine, the College of Populo and the Seminary of St Guilherme
At the time of its consecration the church of Our Lady of Grace originally contained eight chapels, four altars and four towers each standing four storeys high
It is said to have collapsed twice while being constructed
Archaeologists from the Soviet Union and Georgia began excavations to trace the relics of Ketevan the Martyr
An ancient Portuguese document suggests that the remains were entombed in a black sarcophagus kept at the convent of the Augustinian monks in Goa
The surviving bell tower — 46 metres of Portuguese Baroque stonework rising from the forested Old Goa hillside — is one of the most arresting sights in Goa. Seen from below on the approach path, it rises with extraordinary drama against the sky. Seen from the ruins of the nave floor, looking up through the open roof at the same tower, the sense of a world ended and forgotten is overwhelming.
Walking through the footprint of what was once one of the largest church naves in Asia — now open to the sky, the floor grassed over, the walls reduced to stubs — is a meditation on impermanence that no words of a retreat director could match. This was built for eternity and lasted 250 years. What we build for eternity lasts until it doesn't.
The hilltop site commands views across Old Goa and the Mandovi River plain. From this height, one can see the Se Cathedral, the Basilica of Bom Jesus, the Church of Our Lady of the Rosary, and the river beyond — the full spatial extent of what was once the capital of Portuguese Asia, reduced now to trees and churches and ruins. It is a view of history.
At ground level, the surviving stonework — carved corbels, column bases, sections of the ornamental wall — reveals the ambition and quality of the original construction. Blocks of basalt and laterite, fitted without mortar using iron clamps, have survived five centuries. The craftsmanship outlasted the institution.
The walk up to the ruins through the shaded forest — with the sound of birds and the occasional distant bell from the Se Cathedral below — is part of the pilgrimage experience. The path arrives at the ruins with sufficient surprise that the first view of the tower fragments is genuinely startling.
The Augustinians built one of the largest churches in Asia on this hill. They prayed the Divine Office in it for 250 years. Then the Portuguese government suppressed the orders, the friars left, the roof fell, the walls collapsed, and the bells were distributed to other churches. This is what happened. This is what happens. The ruins are not a tragedy — they are a fact. The fact that prayer was said here, honestly and persistently, for two and a half centuries, is not erased by the collapse of the walls. The prayer went where it was intended. The stone remains.
“But will God really dwell on earth? The heavens, even the highest heaven, cannot contain you. How much less this temple I have built!”
Read in full on Bible Gateway →Declared by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site in 1986, the ruins of St Augustine Church, Goa, are one of seven such sites, all located in Old Goa. Velha Goa was the capital of the Portuguese in India until 1843, when they moved to Panjim, or Nova Goa as it was named then. This church was considered one of the three great Augustinian churches in the Iberian world, along with El Escorial in San Lorenzo (the historical residence of the King of Spain) and the Monastery of São Vicente de Fora (a 17th-century church and monastery in Lisbon).
The Portuguese colony of Goa, especially Velha Goa, was the epicentre of evangelisation, from where Christianity spread to the East. The city, which had a population of around 200,000 in 1543, was the headquarters of all the religious orders that came to Goa. The Augustinian friars landed in Goa in 1587 and commenced building the church atop the Monte Santo, or Holy Hill, in 1597. When completed in 1602, the complex comprised the church of Our Lady of Grace, the Convent of Saint Augustine, the College of Populo and the Seminary of St Guilherme.
At the time of its consecration, the church of Our Lady of Grace originally contained eight chapels, four altars and four towers, each standing four storeys high. Inside was a high altar, with a richly carved retable as a background and adorned by soaring columns to complement the impressive sanctorum. Installing the massive vault or high ceiling above the altar was a complex engineering feat. It is said to have collapsed twice while being constructed. A massive loft near the altar could hold a choir large enough to do justice to a cathedral of this magnitude. The dimensions of the grand St Augustine Church were so impressive that it ranked high amongst the great imperial cathedrals of the Renaissance era.
In 1835, the Augustinians were compelled to abandon the church, in the wake of repressive policies of the then Portuguese government. Once left to the elements, the church crumbled into oblivion one piece at a time. The vault collapsed in 1846, and so did the convent soon after. In 1871, the bell was moved from the tower to the church of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception at Panjim, where it remains to date. Of the many imposing structures that once straddled the Monte Santo, only the belfry, which soared 150 feet, stands.
Its story doesn’t end here, for by the late 1980s it became clear that the St Augustine Church held greater treasures. Archaeologists from the Soviet Union and Georgia began excavations to trace the relics of Ketevan the Martyr. Kakheti, a kingdom of Georgia, was invaded by Shah Abbas I, the ruler of Persia. Queen Ketevan, who had ascended the throne on the death of her husband, was asked to join the Shah’s harem and convert to Islam, or be tortured and executed. The Queen chose the latter and was martyred on 13 September 1624.
Before her death, Queen Ketevan had befriended two Augustinian monks. After she was buried, the faithful monks dug up her remains and smuggled them out to Goa. An ancient Portuguese document suggests that the remains were entombed in a black sarcophagus kept at the convent of the Augustinian monks in Goa. Bone fragments excavated by the ASI in 2005 were found to contain a DNA structure absent in India, besides confirming they were those of a woman. In light of these findings and supported by historical evidence, the archaeologists concluded that the bone fragments were from the remains of Queen Ketevan.
Although not much stands today of what was once a towering edifice, a visit to this World Heritage Site is a must for any visitor to Goa who would like to soak in the imperial flavour of colonial Portuguese India.
