Goa Churches
Goa is well known to the outside world as a land of churches. This city has the remaining of Portuguese rule which existed in Goa giving birth to the Christianity in the state. Goa still keeps those memories along with them in the form of churches and monasteries. Understanding the relevance of tourism in the growth of Goa, tourist department also have given amble care to keep these churches in the pride and prestige that Portuguese rule had given it.
When you enter into the cities of Goa, you will notice the white buildings and churches up holding the architectural beauty. The churches have stories to tell us and they always keep the culture and tradition of Goa along with them safely. Each of them has some unique style and fashion that distinguish one church from another. At the same time, they also have some commonness which has been with them for years. This includes the baroque style and the ornated altars. Though, in an attempt to preserve them, some changes have been made in he buildings, most of them remain as same for several years.
Some of the famous churches of Goa are:
Chapel of St. Catherine - This church has a distinct feature of renaissance. This church has undergone some changes during the 1950s when the vault and sacristy was rebuilt using some different material.
Church of Reis Magos - Another major attraction of Goa is this church built by Fransicans. You can see the three magi paying respect to the Infant Jesus in the Altar. This is situated in Varem and across the Mandovi bridge.
Church of Holy Spirit - The church replaced the place where there was a temple in the ancient times. The church was destroyed during the Muslim invasion and was reconstructed again. This church was rebuilt several number of times. The main attraction of this church is the interior designing. This is made in the Indo-Baroque style. This is highly spacious and wonderful too. The high dignity hold by the church is the main attraction drawing tourists.
Church of Our Lady - This is famous as the land mark church locates in Panjim. The Baroque façade is surrounded by two towers which is the main reason behind the fame of this church of Lady of Immaculate.
The church has some Gothic stair cases which are the special attraction of the church. The central pediment and the huge bell add to the beauty of the church. The main altar itself is amazingly beautiful and unique making the statement that churches of Goa are unique come true.
Along with this, there are quite a large number of churches in Goa each different and special by all means. When the churches are so beautiful, they also highlight the importance of Christianity in Goa. This never means that this is the only religion in Goa. There are some temples and mosques which are also equally important in Goan tourism. At the same time, the churches had a great impact on the buildings built in Goa.
Goa is full of churches, the list is given below: