Church of St. Augustine, Old Goa

Church of St. Augustine is a ruined church complex located in #OldGoa. The church was completed in 1602 and is part of the #WorldHeritageSite, #Churches and convents of #Goa.

The #church was built on top of the Monte Santo (Holy Hill), between 1597 and 1602 by Augustinian friars who landed in Goa in 1587. The church was considered one of the three great Augustinian churches in the Iberian world along with El Escorial and the Monastery of São Vicente de Fora.

The church was abandoned in 1835 after the Portuguese government of Goa began evicting many religious orders in Goa under its new repressive policies. The subsequent neglect caused the vault of the church to collapse in 1842. The body collapsed soon after and by 1871, the bell was moved from the tower to Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception Church in Panjim, where it remains to date. In 1931, the facade of the church and half the tower collapsed and by 1938, most of the other parts had also collapsed. Currently only half the tower remains, and it is one of the most visited tourist destinations in Goa. The ruins were featured in the song Gumnaam Hai Koi from the 1965 suspense thriller movie Gumnaam and 'Saathiya' from the Bollywood hit Singham.

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Photograph with a view of the remaining facade and tower of St Augustine's Church, Goa, from the Lee-Warner Collection: 'Bombay Presidency', taken by D'Souza and Paul in the 1880s. In 1510 Alfonso de Albuquerque established a small Portuguese colony in Goa and it remained a part of Portugal till 1962. Though many buildings have disappeared, Old Goa provides a glimpse of past splendour. The ruins of St Augustine's Church and former convent are situated on Holy Hill at Old Goa. Erected in 1512, the buildings were reconstructed in 1597 and 1602, and at one time featured richly adorned chapels and two high towers. It was once the largest church in India but collapsed leaving only the 46 metres high tower which can be seen for miles around.