Church of Our Lady of Rosary

About Our Lady of Rosary Church of Goa

Atop the Monte Santo (Holy Hill), Church of Our Lady of Rosary is the oldest church in Old Goa that still stands. It was built between 1544 and 1547 and is the part of the collection that UNESCO recognised as the World Heritage Site of churches and convents of Goa. It is the only church in Goa that attests to the Renaissance architecture brought by the Portuguese and has no influence of Goan architecture. Apart from its architecture, the church bears an inscription about the conquest of Goa by Afonso De Albuquerque in 1510.

History of Church of Our Lady of Rosary

The history of the Church of Our Lady of Rosary goes back to the time of Afonso De Albuquerque who surveyed the attack of Adil Shah’s army from the hill where this church stands today. He vowed to construct a church to give thanks for his victory. However, the church that exists today was not built in the time of Afonso De Albuquerque. He only set up a hermitage at the hill which was later in 1544 converted into a church. It took 6 years to build this popular church in Goa.

Architecture of Church of Our Lady of Rosary

The architecture of Church of Our Lady of Rosary has an influence of Classic Gothic style along with Portuguese-Manueline style and Renaissance style. The design of the church is quite simple with the only decoration on the exterior of cornice-style rope twists on the towers. It is a three-storied structure that has buttresses built giving it the look of a fortress. In the portico of the church, the influence of the Gothic style of architecture is quite prominent.

Highlights of Church of Our Lady of Rosary

• Tombstone of Garcia De Sa & Cenotaph of Dona Catarina
• Towers
• Chapels
• Carvings of the main altar
• Granite baptismal font

Timings to Visit Church of Our Lady of Rosary

Monday to Sunday: 9:00 AM to 5:30 PM

How to Reach Church of Our Lady of Rosary?

The Church of Our Lady of Rosary is situated around 11 km from Panaji via Ponte de Linhares Causeway. One can easily get a taxi or an auto-rickshaw to reach the Church of Our Lady of Rosary from Panaji.