This forty six meter high colossal four storied arched
belfry tower built of laterite, formed part of the facade of the church of St.
Augustine facing east. The ruins of eight chapels, four altars and extensive
convent with numerous cells may be seen. This tower and church was build in
1602 by the St. Augustinian Friars.
The Friars of Augustinian Order arrivd in goa in 1572 and
built a small convent on holy hill and later it was enlarged. The convent
building has three storey provided with two large stone staircases leading to
th efloors above. On entering the convent there were two cloisters, corridors,
pillars, Galleries, Halls having numerous rooms, A refacory(dinning hall),
Guest house and Infirmary ( First Aid) which were very spacious. It also had
vast domitories and numerous cells and other structures which are now in ruins.
In 1835 this complex was abandoned due to the expulsion of
the religious orders from Goa and the Portuguese Government ordered its
demolition. In 1846 the main vault of the Church collapsed and the convent
rapidly decayed. The valuable articles belonging to the religious complex were
either sold or lost, being nowadays dispersed over many churches in Goa. The
bell from the tower was initially taken to Fort aguada and later in 1871 was
shifted to the Church of Our lady of immaculate Conception church in Panjim.
The church had a sprawling vault(roof) which collapsed
between 1842 and 1846. It is said that the vault collapsed twice during
construction and on the third attempt the architect to test its stability
ordered a heavy cannon to be fired at the building with his only son standing
inside. Fortunately the vault withstood the shock to be brought down due to the
ravages of time. As per the records the convent and the church dedicated to Our
lady of Grace was occupied by the Augustinian order till 1835. it was then abandoned
as a result of an official decree and the Portuguese Government ordered its
demolition.
As a result of partial demolition, weathering and natural
decay, the facade of the church including the 46 meters tall tower again fell
in 1938. What remains of the five storey tall tower is being conserved against
all odds.
The archaeological survey of India has been carrying out
scientific clearance of the ruins since 1998 and simultaneous conservation of
the site.
Standing on Holy Hill (Monte Santo) is perhaps the most
mournful memorial to Old Goa’s fallen might. All that’s left today of the
Church of St Augustine is the 46m-high tower, which served as a belfry and
formed part of the church’s facade. The few other remnants are choked with
creepers and weeds, making picking your way among them rather difficult.
The church was constructed in 1602 by Augustinian friars who
had arrived in Old Goa in 1587. It was abandoned in 1835, mostly due to the
repressive policies of the Portuguese government that resulted in the eviction
of many religious orders from Goa. As Old Goa emptied due to a continual series
of deadly epidemics, the church fell into neglect and the vault collapsed in
1842. In 1931 the facade and half the tower fell down, followed by more
sections in 1938. The tower’s huge bell was moved in 1871 to the Church of Our
Lady of the Immaculate Conception in Panaji, where it can be seen (and heard)
today.
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