St. Augustine Tower Church, Goa

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 church was constructed in 1602 by Augustinian friars who had arrived in Old Goa in 1587 and were abandoned in 1835.

This complex was built by the Augustinian order. It comprised the church of Our Lady of Grace, the Convent of Saint Augustine, The College of Populo, and The Seminary of St Guilherme.

The church is dedicated to Our Lady of Grace. Its construction was started in 1597 and was completed around 1602. Originally comprising of four towers and a massive vault, the dimensions of this superb edifice placed it on par with the great imperial cathedrals of the Renaissance era.

History

St. Augustine’s Church was built by twelve Augustines against oppressive restrictions and opposition. Along with the church, he also built a building for Gurukul. This tower 46 meters high had a magnificent bell that was later removed and transferred to the Church of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception where it is still functioning today!

The rear of the church has become ruins. Despite this, St. Augustine’s Church attracts thousands of tourists every year. Much of the decline of the church took place during 1900 which led to differences among various religious groups.

Architecture

The ruins of St. Augustine Tower is a five-storied curved construction created of laterite which formed a portion of the frontage of St. AugustineChurch. The ruins of St. Augustine Tower are one of the four towers of St. Augustine Church. The church possessed richly decoratedoratories and four alters along with a nunnery with various compartments. The remnants of oratories alter and extensive compartments are also observed around the tower. There was a bell in the tower of St. Augustine Church which was first positioned in a fort named, 'Aguada Light House' where it persisted from 1841 AD to 1871 AD. Ultimately, the bell was positioned in St. Augustine Church in the year 1871.

St. Augustine Church had an expansive roof that collapsed during the period of 1842 AD to 1846 AD. Initially, the church was a three-storeyed building, having two large stone-made stairways which directed to the top floors. Inside the church, there were several convents, passageways, columns, galleries, halls, and rooms. There was also a dining hall, guest room, and sanatorium inside the church which was quite expansive. St. Augustine Church also had vast residences and numerous cells along with other structures which are now becoming ruins. It was said that through the construction of the church, the roof was collapsed two times. In the third time, to test the constancy of the roof, a hefty cannon was set at the building. Luckily, the roof of the church endured the shock of the cannon.