Exploring ruins of St Augustine Monastery | Old Goa

My second day in Goa, a tiny but strategic former Portuguese colony was animated. The well preserved churches and convents of Velha Goa which are aptly listed as UNESCO World Heritage Sites presented yet another cultural lineage of incredibly diverse India. I was a bit surprised, yet very much delighted as I had visited more than a handful of monuments by early noon without any hurry – thanks to the Portuguese who had built these Christian places of worship in close proximity to each other. But before I return back to my hotel room in Saligao to escape the Indian summer powered with the saline sea breeze from Arabian Sea, I had to visit the Ruins of St. Augustine Monastery.

46m high 5 storey belfry

The poster boy of the church in ruins situated on Monte Santo (Holy Hill), a 46m high belfry, 3/4th of which have been eaten away by nature and time gave me a grand welcome. Entry was free and ticket less. As I walked past the remnants along a path that led to the 5 storey tower, I could sense a force which helps even the most uncreative soul to be imaginative by building a virtual model of the original structure built by St. Augustinian friars in 1602. This extensive complex of 8 chapels, 4 altars and convents was abandoned in around 1835. The bell housed in the belfry, second largest in Goa was moved to the wedding-cake shaped Church of Immaculate Conception in Panjim.

Stone pillars and laterite walls standing tall under the open nave made me wonder why this site, which was one of the greatest in Iberian world scored low in TripAdvisor rating. The chapels and altars have long gone, save for the few tiles and rock slabs with inscriptions which once proudly decorated this place. The information boards by Archaeological Survey of India gives meaning to the ruins which may otherwise seem intimidating owing to its size and quantity.

Read more about Goa: Basilica of Bom Jesus, Old Goa

The progression of day into its hotter variant shot down my plan to spend more time here. As I walked back to the precious shade across the road where I had parked my rented motorbike, a newly-wed couple were approaching the ruins. They looked confused rather than curious. Before leaving I had a final glance on the imposing tower; and saw the force acting on the couple while they were slowly pulled into the complex.

 

 

Chapel of St. Catherine, Old Goa

Chapel of St. Catherine is located adjacent to Basilica of Bom Jesus and behind the mill stones of gun powder factory. This chapel was originally built in 1510 to celebrate the victory of Portuguese General Afonso de Albuquerque over local Muslim rulers on St. Catherine’s day. It was rebuilt in present form in the year 1952.

As I approached the entrance, a cute dog who appeared to be a self-appointed security guard shied away from me. The stalled air inside the chapel had a unique smell of fresh paint and laterite.  The visit was completed in less than 15 minutes.

The cool and fresh morning was turning into balmy afternoon. After a visit to a dozen churches and chapels I was looking forward to visit a dozen more. While I was riding towards The Chapel of Our Lady of the Mount, I was thinking about the difference between the 3Cs and B – Church, Chapel, Cathedral and Basilica. 😀

The Chapel of Our Lady of the Mount, Old Goa

The Chapel of Our Lady of the Mount was built in the year 1510 by Afonso de Albuquerque, a Portuguese general.

Mill Stones of Gun Powder Factory, Goa

These mill stones were displayed adjacent to Basilica Of Bom Jesus. They were salvaged from a factory site at Paneli, Old Goa.

Largest Church in India: Se Cathedral, Goa

Se Cathedral is dedicated to Saint Catherine of Alexandria. It is the largest church in India and also one among the oldest. Se Cathedral has 8 chapels and 6 altars in addition to the main altar dedicated to Saint Catherine.

 

Basilica of Bom Jesus, Old Goa

Basilica of Bom Jesus (Borea Jezuchi Bajilika) in Old Goa houses the mortal remains of St. Francis Xavier. “Bom Jesus” means Good or Infant Jesus. The letters “IHS” at the top of the façade represents the first 3 letters of Jesus in Greek. Construction of the Basilica, which is one of the oldest in India, started in the year 1594 and was consecrated in 1605. The holy relics of St. Francis Xavier were placed in a silver casket in this Basilica on 2 December, 1637. Every 10 years public exposition for 6 weeks takes place. The Entry is free and photography is allowed inside the Basilica. But one interesting thing I noted was that you are not allowed to take photos of persons (posed photos) inside. I guess selfies are fine 😉. Being a popular pilgrimage and tourist spot, it can become crowded as the day progresses.

Official website: http://bomjesus.org

 

The holy relic of the St. Francis Xavier is present inside the casket

Selfie at Basilica of Bom Jesus

Overview of my 3 day Goa trip

Day 1, 15^th March, 2015: After spending about 19 hours on not-so-comfortable yet not-so-cramped upper side berth of Trivandrum – H. Nizamuddin Express (22655) train’s AC 3-tier compartment, I finally arrived at Madgaon railway station (MAO), Goa at around 5:30 PM. I took a bike taxi from the railway station to a nearby rent-a-bike shop. Renting a bike to explore Goa will be economical compared to hiring cabs/autos and time-saving compared to public transport. I opted  for a gear-less 125cc Suzuki Access. Her name was Floriana. 

It was getting dark and there was not much scope for sightseeing today.

A Goan sunset

Floriana – 125cc Suzuki Access

Miles to go…

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Tiara Hideaway, the hotel I had booked is around 45km away from railway station. Just like the name, Tiara Hideway was hidden very much deep inside Saligao neighborhood. It was very difficult to find the hotel but I don’t complain as the area was filled with cute buildings having strong influence of Goan and Portuguese architecture. I decided to have dinner from some restaurants nearby rather than from hotel itself. Roamed around a little and came to know that a few attractions were located nearby.

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Day 2, 16^th March, 2015: Today I’ll be visiting the nearby attractions and then move towards Panaji and Old Goa. Visited Mãe de Deus (Mother of God) Church, St. Alex Church, and St. Anthony’s Chapel and then rode towards Panaji to visit the wedding cake shaped Church of Immaculate Conception.

By 9 AM, I reached Old Goa. Churches and Convents in Old Goa are UNESCO world heritage sites. Following are the sites which I visited in Old Goa.

Basilica of Bom Jesus

Se Cathedral

Church of St. Francis of Assisi and the Archeological Survey of India’s museum

The Chapel of St Catherine

Mill stones of Gun Power Factory

The Chapel of Our Lady of the Mount

Viceroy’s Arch

Church of St Cajetan

The Gate of the Palace of Adil Shah, which was located inside the compound of St Cajetan’s Church

Arch of Conception

The Chapel of St. Francis Xavier

Church Of Saint Augustine ruins

Museum Of Christian Art

Church of Immaculate Conception, Panaji

Selfie at Basilica of Bom Jesus

Mill stones of Gun Power Factory

Tower at Church Of Saint Augustine ruins

By early afternoon I went back to hotel to escape from heat and to take some rest. In the evening I went to Santa Monica to take a river cruise. The boat was crowded with desi tourists. There were some dancing and DJing going on, but I was very much bored. I expected to take some good sunset shots but the possibilities were limited.

Day 2 has come to an end. I will be visiting the forts tomorrow.

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Day 3, 17^th March, 2015: Woke up early to explore the Saligao neighborhood. I found some “home sweet homes” and some buildings which were abandoned. I was a bit puzzled with this kind of mix. After roaming around for 30 minutes, I went back to my room, watched some TV, and wasted time till 10 am as I need to book Tatkal railway tickets for the next day for my return journey (for those who are not familiar with tatkal train tickets, these are a small quota of seats whose tickets can be booked only on the previous day before the journey. Booking open at 10 AM).

After booking tickets, I visited Sinquerim fort, Chapora Fort, and Reis Magos Fort and had Shanghai fried rice for dinner.

Fire power at Reis Magos Fort, Goa

I had to cut short the length of the trip even though 18^th and 19^th was a weekend as one of my best friend was getting married on 19^th 😀