The St. Paul’s Church () and officially College of the Holy Spirit and Church of Our Lady of the Conception or Saint Paul, is situated on

Diu Island Diu Island is an island off the southern coast of Gujarat's Kathiawar peninsula, separated from the mainland by a tidal creek. It has an area of 38 km2, and a population of 44,110 (2001 census). Administratively it belongs to the Diu distri ...

, on the west coast of India, a

Union Territory Among the states and union territories of India, a Union Territory (UT) is a region that is directly governed by the Government of India, central government of India, as opposed to the states, which have their own State governments of India, s ...

of India. Diu came under the control of Portuguese colonists in early 16th century. The St. Paul’s Church, named after

St. Paul Paul, also named Saul of Tarsus, commonly known as Paul the Apostle and Saint Paul, was a Christian apostle ( AD) who spread the teachings of Jesus in the first-century world. For his contributions towards the New Testament, he is generally ...

, the

Apostle An apostle (), in its literal sense, is an emissary. The word is derived from Ancient Greek ἀπόστολος (''apóstolos''), literally "one who is sent off", itself derived from the verb ἀποστέλλειν (''apostéllein''), "to se ...

Jesus Jesus (AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ, Jesus of Nazareth, and many Names and titles of Jesus in the New Testament, other names and titles, was a 1st-century Jewish preacher and religious leader. He is the Jesus in Chris ...

also known as the Apostle to the Gentiles, is still a functioning church and one of the three churches in Diu built by the Portuguese. It is considered one of the best examples of

baroque architecture Baroque architecture is a highly decorative and theatrical style which appeared in Italy in the late 16th century and gradually spread across Europe. It was originally introduced by the Catholic Church, particularly by the Jesuits, as a means to ...

(artistic style) in India.

History

The church is located at the mouth of the

Gulf of Cambay The Gulf of Khambhat, also known as the Gulf of Cambay, is a bay on the Arabian Sea coast of India, bordering the state of Gujarat just north of Mumbai and Diu Island. The Gulf of Khambhat is about long, about wide in the north and up to wi ...

and its construction is dated to 1601 AD. Built in the style of a similar

basilica In Ancient Roman architecture, a basilica (Greek Basiliké) was a large public building with multiple functions that was typically built alongside the town's forum. The basilica was in the Latin West equivalent to a stoa in the Greek Eas ...

church Church may refer to: Religion * Church (building), a place/building for Christian religious activities and praying * Church (congregation), a local congregation of a Christian denomination * Church service, a formalized period of Christian comm ...

namely, the

Bom Jesus Basilica The Basilica of Bom Jesus (; Konkani: ''Borea Jezuchi Bajilika'') is a Catholic basilica located in Goa, in the Konkan region of India. The iconic church is a pilgrimage centre and recognised by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site. The basilic ...

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 bound by the Indian states of Maharashtra to the north, and Karnataka to the ...

, its construction was completed in 1610 AD and dedicated to

Our Lady of Immaculate Conception The Immaculate Conception is the doctrine that the Virgin Mary was free of original sin from the moment of her conception. It is one of the four Marian dogmas of the Catholic Church. Debated by medieval theologians, it was not defined as a ...

Architecture

The church, built in the Baroque architectural style, exhibits strong similarity but with better workmanship and design than the ''Bom Jesus Basilica'' at Goa built in 1605 AD, which was also built by the Portuguese during their colonial rule of the territory. The interior of the church is decorated with intricately carved woodwork that is considered one of the most elaborate in any Portuguese church in India. Its interior has elaborate and impressive design with delicate

volute A volute is a spiral, scroll-like ornament that forms the basis of the Ionic order, found in the capital of the Ionic column. It was later incorporated into Corinthian order and Composite column capitals. Four are normally to be found on an ...

s (spiral scroll-like ornament) and shell. The front elevation or facade is also said to be the most detailed of all Portuguese churches built in India. The altar, which has the image of

St. Mary Mary was a first-century Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Saint Joseph, Joseph and the mother of Jesus. She is an important figure of Christianity, venerated under titles of Mary, mother of Jesus, various titles such as Perpetual virginity ...

, is carved out of a single piece of Burmese

teak Teak (''Tectona grandis'') is a tropical hardwood tree species in the family Lamiaceae. It is a large, deciduous tree that occurs in mixed hardwood forests. ''Tectona grandis'' has small, fragrant white flowers arranged in dense clusters (panic ...

and is lined and lit up with 101 candles. Above the altar, there is a "blue-and–white barrel - vaulted nave adorned with priceless old paintings and

statue A statue is a free-standing sculpture in which the realistic, full-length figures of persons or animals are carved or Casting (metalworking), cast in a durable material such as wood, metal or stone. Typical statues are life-sized or close to ...

Jesuit architecture

The Church is stated to be an innovative design of

Jesuit The Society of Jesus (; abbreviation: S.J. or SJ), also known as the Jesuit Order or the Jesuits ( ; ), is a religious order (Catholic), religious order of clerics regular of pontifical right for men in the Catholic Church headquartered in Rom ...

architecture Architecture is the art and technique of designing and building, as distinguished from the skills associated with construction. It is both the process and the product of sketching, conceiving, planning, designing, and construction, constructi ...

, typical to India. The unique aspect is the facade, which has intricate decoration vis-a-vis its plain walls. Although the frontal elevation of the church is a replica of the

, the church dispenses with an additional third storey and also the compartments created by the buttresses, as seen in the Bom Jesus Church. The church has extravagant carved decorations in white

stucco Stucco or render is a construction material made of aggregates, a binder, and water. Stucco is applied wet and hardens to a very dense solid. It is used as a decorative coating for walls and ceilings, exterior walls, and as a sculptural and ...

, mainly attributed to the craftsmanship of the Indian artisans, which is typical of most churches in Goa. It is inferred that the Indian silversmiths known for their exquisite workmanship have influenced the decor in the facade. This has been attributed to a fact that the Jesuits in India could not find native artists who could recreate the original Jesuit architectural designs. Hence, the religious images made in ivory and the objects made in silver have strong local flavour.

Music

In Goan churches, which included churches in Diu, "lavish singing with many voices and sung masses were part of the elaborate ceremonies and processions that the Jesuits staged there". The two ceremonies that are held at the Diu church are the Feast of the Eleven Thousand Virgins to mark the commencement of the school year and the other is on 25 January to mark the conversion of St. Paul, which were largely attended when Portuguese ruled the area and also now.

Congregation

It is the largest and the only functioning church in Diu catering to the small

Christian A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...

community A community is a social unit (a group of people) with a shared socially-significant characteristic, such as place, set of norms, culture, religion, values, customs, or identity. Communities may share a sense of place situated in a given g ...

of about 450 Christians who remain after the Diu territory merged with India after the end of Portuguese

colonial rule Colonialism is the control of another territory, natural resources and people by a foreign group. Colonizers control the political and tribal power of the colonised territory. While frequently an imperialist project, colonialism can also take ...

on 11 December 1961.

Visitor information

The church is easily accessible from the main land from the village of Ghoghla in the east or from

Veraval Somnath, also known as Veraval, is a city and the headquarters of Gir Somnath district in the Indian States and territories of India, state of Gujarat. Somnath temple, a place of pilgrimage due to its importance as one of the 12 Jyotirlinga si ...

Somnath Prabhas Patan, historically named Dev Patan, is a locality in Veraval, Gujarat. As the site of the Somnath temple and its associated Jyotirlinga (an aniconic representation of the god Shiva), it is an important place of Hindu pilgrimage. Pl ...

in the west. It is well connected by roads with rest of the country. There are no railway lines within Diu but the nearest railway station is on the

metre gauge Metre-gauge railways ( US: meter-gauge railways) are narrow-gauge railways with track gauge of or 1 metre. Metre gauge is used in around of tracks around the world. It was used by several European colonial powers including France, Britain and ...

line at Delvada from the fort.

Diu Airport Diu Airport is a domestic airport serving Diu in the union territory of Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu, India. Besides Diu, it also serves the neighbouring areas of Gujarat, including Veraval and Jafrabad. It is the only airport ...

provides regular air links to

Mumbai Mumbai ( ; ), also known as Bombay ( ; its official name until 1995), is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra. Mumbai is the financial capital and the most populous city proper of India with an estimated population of 12 ...

. The church is located north west of Mumbai by road. Diu is also approachable from Una, which is from the Gujarat border.

References

External links

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Singing in St. Paul's Church, Diu, India
{{DEFAULTSORT:Saint Pauls Church, Diu Roman Catholic churches in India Churches in Daman and Diu Jesuit churches in India 17th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in India Roman Catholic churches completed in 1610 1610 establishments in India 1610s establishments in Portuguese India Baroque church buildings in India Portuguese colonial architecture in India Diu, India Tourist attractions in Diu district