Church of St. Augustine at GOA

 

Church of St.Augustine, GOA, originally uploaded by Sriranga.rao.

This is another view of Church of St. Augustine.

One of the major attractions of historical importance in Goa is The Church of St. Augustine built in 1602. According to records, Twelve Augustan Friars pooled their efforts and resources to construct the church on the Holy Hill at Old Goa in September 1572 and the church was completed by 1602. The government under the Portuguese later issued a ban against them. So they abandoned the church and the convent beside it. Both the church and the convent are in ruins now. But the soaring 46-metre high Bell Tower still remains and forms a major segment of the ruins.

The bell in the Bell Tower was removed and installed in the church of Our Lady of Immaculate Conception at Panaji in 1871. It is in working condition even today. The bell tower that remains amid the ruins belongs to one of the four of the St. Augustine Churches that once stood there. Initially there used to be four altars, eight chapels and a convent attached to the church. The Church of St Augustine was considered to be the largest in Goa before it was damaged.

Unfortunately, out of neglect, the facade and half of the tower fell in 1931. In 1938 some more parts fell apart. After being abandoned by the founders, the convent was used for charity work by the institution of the Misericordia for quite sometime. The vault collapsed on 8 September 1842 due to prolonged neglect. The then Government under the Portuguese sold the materials of the remains of the church in 1843, but the few ruins are remaining till today.