Angelos Akotanos - Saint Anne with the Virgin - 15th century

The Church of St. Anne is a church and religious monument located in the Santana district of

Old Goa Old Goa ( Konkani: ; pt, Velha Goa, translation='Old Goa') is a historical site and city situated on the southern banks of the River Mandovi, within the Tiswadi ''taluka'' (''Ilhas'') of North Goa district, in the Indian state of Goa. The ci ...

, in

Goa Goa () is a state on the southwestern coast of India within the Konkan region, geographically separated from the Deccan highlands by the Western Ghats. It is located between the Indian states of Maharashtra to the north and Karnataka to the ...

province,

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

. The 17th century church is a major example of the colonial Portuguese

Baroque architecture Baroque architecture is a highly decorative and theatrical style which appeared in Italy in the early 17th century and gradually spread across Europe. It was originally introduced by the Catholic Church, particularly by the Jesuits, as a means t ...

built in

Portuguese India The State of India ( pt, Estado da Índia), also referred as the Portuguese State of India (''Estado Português da Índia'', EPI) or simply Portuguese India (), was a state of the Portuguese Empire founded six years after the discovery of a se ...

History

Construction of the Church of St. Anne began in 1577 by Monsignor Francisco de Rego (1681–1689). It was completed in 1695, by his successor, Rev. Fr. Antonio Francisco da Cunha.

Landmark

The Church of Anne was declared a "national monument" during the Portuguese era per Government ''Portario No. 1360 of 31/3/31''. In that ''Portario'' were also the

Bom Jesus Basilica The Basilica of Bom Jesus ( pt, Basílica do Bom Jesus; Konkani: ''Borea Jezuchi Bajilika'') is a Catholic basilica located in the Goa situated in the Konkan region of India. It is both a pilgrimage centre and also the most iconic monument ...

, the

Se Cathedral The Sé Catedral de Santa Catarina, known as Se Cathedral, is the cathedral of the Latin Rite Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Goa and Daman and the seat of the Patriarch of the East Indies. It is part of the World Heritage Site, Churches and conv ...

, the Church of St. Francis of Assisi, the Convent of Santa Monica and the Church of St. Cajetan. Each of these, monumental in their architectural splendor, and all of them within the former Portuguese capital of

. Upon Goa's annexation by India in 1961, while the aforementioned edifices were embraced as "national monuments" by the

Archaeological Survey of India The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) is an Indian government agency that is responsible for archaeological research and the conservation and preservation of cultural historical monuments in the country. It was founded in 1861 by Alexande ...

(ASI) and effectively taken over, the church of St. Anne was singularly overlooked and suffered the ravages of time and human neglect until parts of the structure were in precarious conditions. The Church has been taken under the wing of the World Monument Foundation. Urgent repairs and the strengthening of the foundations took place in 2007 along with assistance from the Goa Government.

Legends

Legend has it that while construction was in progress, an elderly villager by the name of Bartholomeu Marchon, had a vision of an old lady donning a hat with a staff in hand. The old lady ambled down the neighboring hill and promulgated to Bartholomeu that the Church under construction was her home, and that it was her intent to reside there. A similar apparition was also encountered by a

Brahmin Brahmin (; sa, ब्राह्मण, brāhmaṇa) is a varna as well as a caste within Hindu society. The Brahmins are designated as the priestly class as they serve as priests (purohit, pandit, or pujari) and religious teachers (guru ...

lady of high social standing, who happened to be gravely ill and almost in death's clutch. The celestial apparition anointed the lady with a miraculous cure and as a token of supreme gratitude, she embraced

Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. It is the world's largest and most widespread religion with roughly 2.38 billion followers representing one-third of the global pop ...

. Word of her miraculous cure percolated down to the village priest who instantly interpreted it as a sign of divine intervention, and without further ado, consecrated the church in honor of St. Anne. High up in the transept facing the sanctuary, one can see a relief picture depicting the scene of St. Anne with a staff in hand and wearing a hat as seen in the apparitions..

References

External links

Long Neglected Church gets official attention

{{coord, 15.4781, N, 73.8914, E, source:wikidata, display=title Colonial Goa Roman Catholic churches in Old Goa 17th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in India Roman Catholic churches completed in 1695 1680s establishments in Portuguese India Baroque church buildings in India Portuguese colonial architecture in India 1695 establishments in India 1695 establishments in the Portuguese Empire Roman Catholic churches in Goa