Best Churches’ in Goa That You Must Visit Once

1. Church & Convent of St Francis of Assisi

Saint Francis' Church of Assisi, Roman Catholic Church, is located on Old Goa's main square, 6 miles (10 km) east of the capital city of Panaji Goa. Eight Portuguese French friars who landed in Goa in 1517 founded the Church of Saint Francis of Assisi, along with a convent.

The original church started with a small chapel, which was converted and consecrated in 1602 into a church in 1521. The current structure built in 1661 replaced this building. A mixture of styles is the present church. The interior, especially the main altar is richly baroque and has Corinthian characteristics, however, is decorated in the simple Tuscan order. Two distinct octagonal towers lie on both sides of the three-tier exterior façade and a small, Marian niche. The interior of the church contains a niche richly decorated with a tabernacle, which the Four Evangelists supported on the main altar.

2. Church Of Nossa Senhora De Penha De Franca

Nossa Senhora de Penha de Franca, the Parish Church in Britona, is a great old lady who occupies an excellent location at the confluence of the rivers Mandovi and Mapusa, overlooks the Chorao Island on the one hand and the Ribandar Causeway on another.

Nossa Senhora de Penha de Franca was a Spanish saint, who was associated with mariners after a hair-raising journey during which the seamen saved themselves from certain death, attracting the sailors of Nossa Senhora.

The church's interior is beautifully decorated and has a high - vaulted ceiling and simple reredos with painted scenes. This is the most popular church in the morning and it serves (in Konkani) most days.

3. Church of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception

This elevated white pearly church, built-in 1619 on the top of a smaller, older chapel in 1640, stacked like a fancy white wedding cake, is both the spiritual and geographical center of Panaji. This church was the first port of call for sailors from Lisbon when Panaji was little more than a sleepy fishing village and was to say thank you for the safe crossing before continuing eastward on to Ela (Old Goa). At night, the church is gorgeously lit. 

In the 1850s, the ground facing the church was recovered and in the late 19th century, the distinctive crossing stairways were added. Today's entrance is along the left-hand side wall to its gloriously technical interior. The enormous glossy church bell in the belfri leads to a tangle of ropes, which was saved from and built in the ruin of the Augustine Monastery at Old Goa in 1871. During Notre Dame of the Immaculate Conception's feast on 8 December, the Church is the center of the celebration.

4. Church of Our Lady of the Rosary and Royal Chapel of St Anthony

The church of Saint Anthony, also known as the Royal Chapel, is located in North Goa, 8.5 km from Panjim Kadamba Bus Stand, and 27 km from Vasco Da Gama Railway Station, and 24 km from Mapusa.

Built-in the 17th century, the Royal Chapel of St. Anthony. The church lies opposite the ruins of St. Augustine's Church and to the south of Our Lady of the Rosary Church. It is devoted to the patron of the Portuguese military and navy, St Anthony. It is also one of al-fonso de Albuquerque’s earliest churches in Goa. In 1835, when it was also renovated, the chapel was closed and opened again in 1894. It was re-opened in 1961 after the Portuguese Government had completely restored it.

St. Anthony's Royal Chapel is a small semicircular chapel. The facade is unique in style and is not a copy of any well-known design architecture. It faces east, and the belfry looks like a fortress. The door has a half-circular arch and pilasters. The shutter shows the famous Augustinian symbol of pelicans that feed their descendants. The church's interior, exquisitely finished and rich in ornament, is lit with clerestory windows.

5. Church of St. Augustine

The St. Augustine Church in Old Goa is a ruined church complex. The church was finished in 1602 and is part of Goa's World Patrimony, Churches, and Convents.

Between 1597 and 1602 Augustinian friars who landed in Goa in 1587 built the church at the top of Monte Santo. The church, together with El Escorial and São Vicente de Fora, is one of the three major Augustine churches in the Iberian world.

After many religious orders began to be expelled in Goa by the Portuguese Government in 1835 under its new policy of repression, the church was abandoned. In 1842 the church's vault collapsed due to subsequent neglect. Shortly after and in 1871, the bell collapsed and moved out of the turret to the church of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception in Panjim. By 1931, the church's façade and half the tower collapsed and the majority of the remaining parts collapsed by 1938. Today only half the tower remains, and it is one of the tourist destinations most visited in Goa.

6. Church of St. Cajetan

The Church of St. Cajetan is also known as Divine Providence Church and is situated in Old Goa, in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Goa and Daman. The church was built in 1661 and belongs to the Goa World Heritage, Churches, and convents.

Three Theatine Italian priests came to India in 1639 to preach Christianity. The Portuguese viceroy Filipe Mascarenhas had started work on a hospital in 1643 but was exiled. However, the head of the Italian priests, Pedro Avitabili, came to Portugal and persuaded King John IV of Portugal that working with the Portuguese priests in Goa was for Christianity's sake. In 1650, the king allowed the hospital to be built, and in 1655 he also obtained permission to establish the church and a small monastery next to it. The Church was built by Carlo Ferrarini and François Maria Milazzo, the Italian architects.

The church is thought to have been built in Vatican City in the basilica of St. Peter. The Giovanni Francesco Gemelli Careri and Pietro Della Valley travelers from the seventeenth century have also likened the church to the Valle de Sant'Andrea, where the Theatinian order sits.

7. Mae de Deus Church (Mother of God)

The foundation stone of Mae Deus Church, which was inaugurated on 26 November 1873 in Saligao, Bardez, Goa, was laid on 7 February 1867. The small suburb of Old Goa was originally located in Daujim in the 16th century, today only the highest cross on a pedestal between shrubs and coconut trees... Salvador Pinto, a resident of Saligao, was the force behind the success of this construction. He proposed that Saligao build its own church and have a separate parish. Mae Deus ' exquisite wooden statue is a beautiful gilded example of Goa's work. 

Originally from Daujim-Old Goa's Mae Deus Church, it was taken ceremoniously by a decorated boat across the banks of the Mandovi River. The magnificent white church of Mae Deus in Saligao has a typically pointed arch and supports its exterior, belfry, and peaks all of them arranged in such a way that they create a beautiful and unique piece of gothic architecture. In the entire Goa, it is the only one of its type. The Mother of God or Our Lady Church is dedicated. In the evenings and at the nights, you have an excellent look at the illuminated view of Mae Deus Church in Saligao, Bardez.

8. Our Lady of Lourdes Church

The church of Our Lady of Lourdes is also called in Portuguese "Nossa Senhora de Lourdes Igreja em Ambaulim, Goa." The church of Our Lady of Lourdes, Ambaulim, Goa is locally famous for being' The Ambaulim Church' in Goa. The church of Ambaulim originally was an early chapel. Built-in 1913, the Ambaulim Chapel. In 1956, the Ambaulim Chapel became a parish church. Since the original church building has been found small enough for the growing local Catholic community, in December 1997 a new and wider church was built in Our Lady of Lourdes Church, Ambaulim, Goa, and blessed.

The religious order of the Sisters of the Holy Cross (SCSC) in Our Lady of Lourdes Church, Ambaulim, Goa Parish. The Holy Cross Sisters of Mercy are located in Godgal, Ambaulim, Quepem, Goa, The Holy Cross Convent.

9. Santa Cruz Church

The Church of the Holy Cross was built in 1957 as a means of evangelization between natives at the recommendation of the King of Portugal. In a short time, the Dominicans baptized thousands in Calapur by giving an excellent example, insisting strictly for children up to 10 years to take daily lectures, writings, and Christian teachings in the church. Every day the children heard a bell ring and met at a designated place from where they went in procession, singing doctrine that soaked and spread the faith. 

The Church of the Holy Cross in Santa Cruz, Goa is popularly known in Goa as' The Church of the Santa Cruz.' The church of Santa Cruz was built in 1565. The Santa Cruz Church was rebuilt by the Dominicans in 1710. Since 1776 the diocesan clergy have started working in the Santa Cruz parish.

10. Se Cathedral

The Latin Rite RC cathedral of the Diocese of Goa and of Daman is the SE Cathedral or the SE Cathedral de Santa Catarina. This cathedral is a famous Portuguese Manueline monument. The length of the church is 76 m and the headland is about 35 m. The Portuguese, who ruled Goa during that period, constructed this church. The largest church on the continent. This church.

Se' is a word for' see.' It was a symbolic structure built to show the Portuguese victory in the beginning of the 16th century over an invading Muslim army. In this church is held the exact day of this victory as the festival of St Catherine. The expenses of the building were calculated by funds obtained through the sale of real estate.

The then Goa governor began to enlarge the building in the middle of the 15th century and the building was completed in the middle of the 17th century. There were two towers in this structure. Just after 120 years from the building year, a tower collapsed and was never again constructed. The honorary "Golden Rose" was presented at the Cathedral in the twentieth century by Pope Pius XII, now on the tomb of the Saint. Within the cathedral, Francis Xavier.

11. St. Andrew’s Church

This impressive building was built in 1570 and with arched doors and windows recalled to visitors the heritage of the city's fishing and other maritime professions. The first to be known as one of the 12 apostles or the first disciples of Jesus Christ, Andrew was an English fisherman. He has been honored as the patron saint of fishermen and young females. Just as you reach Vasco, this lovely 16th-century stone and lime building welcomes you on the Zuari Road from the airport. 

On Monday evening in Konkani the prayer services are held and on Tuesdays in English. The church runs a school in the neighborhood and during your lunch break, you probably hear playful children.

On 30 November the city of Vasco observes St Andrew's annual feast. If you are a woman who is unmarried looking for a partner, go and rejoice in Goa on that day. Who knows it can reveal to you your future partner — that's what the beliefs tell you!

12. St. Clara’s Church

The Church of Saint Clare, Assonora, Goa is named in Portuguese ' Santa Clara Igreja em Assonora, Goa.' The Church of St Clare, Assonora, Goa is commonly referred to locally as the Church of Assonora in Goa. Originally built in 1781, the Assonora Church was a chapel. However, the Assonora Chapel was burned down by the Marathas several times and reconstructed each time it was destroyed. The Chapel of Assonora originally belonged to Tivim Parish, in the Tivim Church of St. Christopher. As a Parish of St. Clare Church, Assonora was raised to the status on 18.10.1805.

Goa is The Poor Sisters of Our Lady in the Parish of St. Clare in Assonora, based at the Infant Jesus of the Prague Convent, Auchit Waddo, Assonora, Goa. St. Clare's High School, Assonora, Goa, is the Education Center based in the parish of Saint Clare's Church, Assonora, Goa, run by The Poor Sisters of Our Lady. In the parish of Saint Clare, in Assonora, Goa there are 2300 Catholics. On the 2nd Saturday of May each year, St. Clare's Festival is held in Assonora, Goa.

13. St. John the Baptist Church

St. John the Baptist is dedicated to the Church of Pilerne. Also referred to as' Sao Joao Baptista Igreja im Pilerne,' Goa in Portuguese or the church of Pilerne. The Church of Pilerne was first a chapel constructed by Frei Diogo de Santa Clara in 1658. Twice before the present structure, the Pilerne church had to be rebuilt. On 24 June is the festival of St. John the Baptist. A Grotto of Our Lady Fatima is located in the church complex. There are five altars in the Pilerne Church. St. John the Baptist is the principal altar. Our Lady of Piety St. Anthony and Saints are honored by the four altars.

The festival of St John the Baptist is celebrated with great vibrancy and a spirit of merriment, color, and tradition on 24 June. People dressed vibrantly with a floral crown ornamenting their heads meet in every ward near a stream or in a traditional place. Christian scriptures tell us about the joy of John the Baptist in his mother's womb when she was told about the birth of Jesus. On the Festival day, village dwellers sung' San Joao' in the village wells.

14. The Convent and the Church of St. John of God

The convent and church of St John are located in North Goa, 8,6 km from Panjim Kadamba Bus Stand, 27 km from Vasco Da Gama Train Station, and 24 km from Mapusa. St. John's Convent and Church is situated to the east of St. Augustine's Tower. This church is dedicated to the Our Lady of Good Success, built-in 1685. It's a building with a simple look. In 1835 the monastery was abandoned.

The Portuguese military stationed in this monastery was built until December 1961 when the Indian Army released Goa. Some members of the Congregation of St. John of God have established the convent. This Congregation was just a group of the Brothers in hospitals who cared for the sick. The first day of the reception was the arrival of eight of the brothers to the City of Goa in 1685 sent by King Pedro II of Portugal. The convent was used as a hospital for the poor when suppression of religious orders came in 1835.

It slowly declined in importance until 1844, when the building was purchased for its chaplains and confessors by the nuns of St Monica to be used as a residence. In 1850, the church's roof was removed. The current roof has recently been constructed. The Sisters of the Congregation of Franciscan Portuguese Hospitalarians took over the old convent in May 1964. Now the church and the convent are occupied by Franciscan nuns who run an old age home. The Portuguese were fully restored just before they were expelled from Goa and are quite simple in style. The architectural styles which were popular at the far end of the Portuguese reign in Goa are mainly displayed.

15. Three Kings Church

For obvious reasons–uncountable beaches, exciting beach life, carnivals, seafood, and the ultimate vacation environment–Goa is known as the beach capital of India. It also is one of India's states that attract as many foreign tourists as possible. Imagine doing some weird activities in such a place?

Officially the chapel of the Our Lady of Remedios is located in the plastery of the village of Goa called Chandor, 15 kilometers to the east of one of the most prominent sites of Goa, Margao. This little town is a perfect getaway from all the madness of beach life if you want to break away. It is also the perfect place for history enthusiasts to learn about Goa's lifestyle and the neglect of beautiful colonial mansions.