The Church of St Augustine was constructed by the joint efforts of 12 Augustian Friars after they arrived at Goa on 3rd September 1572 AD. They built the church on the Holy Hill at Old Goa. The construction of the church was completed by 1602 AD. A ban was later issued against the Augustines by the Portuguese government. So they deserted the church and the convent alongside it.

Both the church and the convent are in ruins now. However, the lofty 46-metre high Bell Tower - without the bell - still remains; making up a major portion of the ruins. The bell was later placed in the Fort Aguada Light House, where it remained from 1841 to 1871 AD. Finally it was put in the church of Our Lady of Immaculate Conception at Panaji in 1871 AD and, amazingly, it is in working condition today.

The bell tower that remains among the ruins belongs to one of the four of the St. Augustine Churchs that once stood there. In the glory days there used to be, attached to the church, four altars, eight chapels, and a convent with many cells. The Church of St Augustine, when it was intact, was supposed to be the biggest in Goa. The facade and half of the tower fell in 1931; and 1938 saw some more collapse of parts. After being deserted by the Augustines, the convent was used for missionary and charity work by the charitable institution of the Misericordia for quite a while. However, the buildings finally fell into neglect. This resulted in the collapse of the vault on 8 September 1842. As a direct result of all these occurrences, the Government appropriated the property and sold the materials of the remains of the church in 1843.

Last Updated on 4^th October 2010

Churches in Goa