Oldest lighthouse in Asia!

Last December, we accompanied, Vanaja, my cousin from Hyderabad and her family on a tour to some of the famous places in North Goa. And we visited the oldest lighthouse in Asia!

The gigantic lighthouse!

This 13 metre high, lighthouse, is located inside the mammoth Aguada fort* and has guided many ships, from the European shores to Goa. Built by the Portuguese in 1864, the four-storey lighthouse, is the first of its kind in Asia! Initially an oil lamp was used (must have been an enormous one!) in this lighthouse which was later renovated.

At close quarters...

It overlooks the Arabian sea and is located 18 kilometres from Panaji, the capital city of Goa.

The Arabian sea view

At the initial stage, the lighthouse used to emit light once in 7 minutes. In 1834, it was changed to emit light creating eclipse every 30 seconds, however it was abandoned in 1976. In 1890, a smaller lighthouse named, ‘The Aguada Beacon' was built on the Mandovi river banks.

Picturesque setting: Sun, Sea and The Church of St. Lawrence at a distance

Witnessing the magnificence......

A gigantic bell retrieved from the ruins of the St. Augustine Church at Old Goa was placed in this lighthouse. However, later, the bell was moved to the Our Lady of Immaculate Conception church at Panaji.

Reaching this lighthouse is a light trek. The sheer height of this lighthouse is amazing. The view of the Arabian sea from the fort is refreshing!

Reaching the summit!

* To be continued.....

Ruins of St. Augustine Church, Old Goa - Part II

Here is an account of the downfall of this magnificent church.....

The hoarding at the complex

The church had a sprawling vault (roof) which collapsed between 1842 and 1846. A ban was imposed by the Portuguese government against the Augustines. Thereafter the church and the convent were deserted. 

Beautiful ceramic work near the altar

A closer look

The chance discovery of the burial assumes a greater significance in the light of the fact that during the last quarter of 1998, a Georgian team visited Goa in order to search for and locate the mortal remains of the Georgian Queen,St. Catevan. The Queen, who died a martyr in 1624, was buried in Goa, presumably in the St. Augustine Church complex.

Ketevan the Martyr (1560 – September 13, 1624) was a queen of Kakheti, a kingdom in eastern Georgia. She was killed for refusing to give up the Christain faith and convert to Islam.

The account of Ketevan's martyrdom related by the Augustinians missioners were listed by her son, Teimuraz, in his poem The Book and Passion of Queen Ketevan. (Reference: wikipedia)

The noble queen and martyr
(Photocredit: http://www.georgianweb.com/)

A team of experts from Hyderabad based, Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB) along with the Archeological Survey of India (ASI) and Estonian BioCentre have confirmed that a relic excavated from this Goan church was that of Queen Ketevan of Georgia.

Some more ceramic inlay

Altar of St. Nicholas

The Archeological Survey of India (ASI) has undertaken excavation as well restoration work of this monument which has being going on for some years now. However, a lot more needs to be done and with more enthusiasm to restore the past glory of this magnificent church.

The monument with historical significance - as listed by ASI

In his blog, http://goanarchitecture.blogspot.in/, Jose FP Lourenco, presented an old picture of this church and quoted as follows "I've saved the best photograph for last. I found this in my late uncle's chest while cleaning the musty old attic. It's from a 'Souvenir da Velha Cidade de Goa' by the venerable photographers Souza & Paul. The back cover of this photograph collection reads 'Unico Representante na India Portuguesa das makinas fotograficas Rolleiflex e Rolleicord'!

The outer facade...in bygone days...

He readily gave me permission to use this rare photograph in my blog post. Thanks for preserving such a masterpiece and for allowing me to reproduce this photo on my blog, Jose!

Travel, in the younger sort, is a part of education; in the elder, a part of experience.
- Francis Bacon

Ruins of St. Augustine Church, Old Goa – Four centuries and more!

Part I
Though, I have lived in Goa for many years, I had not visited one of the spectacular monuments of Goa – the St. Augustine tower and Church complex. It is a part of the Churches of Old Goa, which are listed as UNESCO World heritage site.

This church in ruins, now, this may be the reason it has less popularity, compared to the world famous church of Old Goa, which is situated at a short distance from these ruins.

Testimony to the glorious past

Here are 10 facts about St. Augustine tower and church:

Standing strong and tall!

1) The impressive 46 meter high bell tower facing east, has withstood the ravages of time and weather, it was a part of the façade of the magnificent church, St Augustine Church.

2) Situated on Monte Santo (Holy hill) at Velha, Goa, it has been standing tall for 412 years!

Similar to Stonehenge?

3) The bell from this church was first placed in the Fort Aguada Light House, where it remained from 1841 to 1871 AD. Finally it was permanently placed in the church of Our Lady of Immaculate Conception at Panaji in 1871 AD and it is still in working condition.

The left side of the complex

4) The tower and the church were completed 1602 by the 12 Augustinian friars who arrived in Goa in 1587.

The right side wing of the complex

5) The church had eight richly adorned chapels and four altars, and a convent. 

Chapel of Our Lady of Good Success

6) The convent had a dining hall, guest house and Infirmary ( for first aid) which were very spacious. It also had vast dormitories and numerous cells and other structures which are now in ruins.

7) St. Augustine Church was

Chapel of St. Joseph

probably the oldest churches built in Goa! It was built of laterite and was a four storied structure.

8) The name of the designer of this magnificent piece of construction is not known, but he is thought to have been Italian.

9) When it was completed in the 16th century, the grand Church was recognized as one of the three great Augustinian churches in the Iberian world, the other two being the Basilica of the Escorial in Spain, St. Vincente de Fora in Lisbon.

Beautiful inscription denoting the bygone era, don's miss the year...1620...

10) The church attached to the Augustinian convent was dedicated to Our Lady of Grace. This is what the Igreja da Nossa Senhora da Graca originally looked like (courtesy Baroque India by Jose Pereira)

In all its glory!

Part II continued.....