St. Andrew’s Church, Goa

The Church of St. Andrew’s was first founded and built-in 1570 and inaugurated with pompous celebrations. The original building of the church was later destroyed by Adil Shah’s soldiers in 1578. The present building is a result of the architectural amalgamation over the years since 1594. The Neo-Gothic style is the most prominent part of the design features that we see in the church today. The most recent changes and inclusions were in the year 2010 with the long-extended prayer halls. The church has pure white all around and the grottos are beautifully maintained in gold tinge and there is a statue of Lady of Fathima carved in marble. The port town - Vasco da Gama celebrates the feast of St Andrew on the 30th of November and the town rejoices and comes together to celebrate the patron saint of spinsters and fishermen.

History

Church of St. Andrew's the Apostle was founded by the Jesuits in 1570. The inaugural mass was celebrated with great pomp on 5th April in 1570. Adil Shah's soldiers destroyed the original building in 1578. Viceroy Ferrao Teles de Menezes ordered the priests throughout Goa to build beautiful Churches of stone and lime. The present Church building probably belongs to 1594. The church had a magnificent ''facade'' which was destroyed in the year 1950.

Architecture

After the construction of the main building, the original peak gable façade was restructured with Neo-Gothic features added to it. The parochial residence was extended in 1989 by the parish priest, late Father F. Couto. Major changes were made in 2009 when the current priest Father Jose Antonio Costa began expansion and renovation work. The church also has a new school building on the premises. A long and extended prayer hall was inaugurated in 2010.
A grotto built on the church premises was blessed by Father Jose Antonio Costa and Father Lino Gonsalves. The beautifully decorated grotto has statues of three shepherd children with the statue of Our Lady of Fatima carved in marble. There is also a statue of Joseph Vaz on the east side of the church.