St. Alex Church, Goa

The St.Alex Church is a massive church built by local village communities in 1741. The Grotto in the churchyard dedicated to Our Lady is the first such Grotto amongst all churches in Goa. The highlights of the church are its dome and two towers.

The dome is flanked by seven altars. Numerous feasts are held at the church. Some of the most popular ones are Feast of St. Alex, Feast of Our Lady of Lourdes, and Feast of Our Lady of Immaculate Conception. An interesting aspect of this church is that it was built on the site of a Hindu temple. Called the Ravalnath, the remains of this temple can be still seen on location.

History

St. Alex Church is one of the architectural masterpieces and is counted among the oldest churches in Goa. The Church was dedicated originally to Our Lady of Guadalupe; however, it was thereafter dedicated to St. Alex by an Apostolic Brief in 1815.
According to the history of this church, the original chapel was built in 1576 by St. Francis. The structure then was built simply of palm leaves along the seashore. In 1595 the church was rebuilt by Franciscans with a cemetery. The church was a simple structure covered with leaves, made in the same location as the original chapel. The present structure of the church was made in 1741 by the villagers. In 1765, the towers of this church were installed, while the sanctuary was rebuilt in 1916.

Architecture

The Church has more of a contemporary 18th-century styled design with lively decorations similar to the Mangueshi temple at Priol. The Alex Church follows the same style and pattern of churches found in Salcete with some part of the walls having red laterite while the other part painted with white only the façade and the porch plastered.
The main altar is very elegant in its design with scrolled pilasters. A simple whitewashed front gives the church a stately appearance with the giant palm trees surrounding it. The interiors of the church are lavish and elegant with its pulpit and screen magnificently ornamented.