The oldest surviving Church in Goa today is the Church of
Our Lady of Rosary on Monte Santo, Old Goa. Built on the site
of Alfonso de Albuquerque's hill of Victory soon after he
conquered Goa in 1510. The style of Churches during this time
period is termed as "Manueline" after King Emmanuel
of Portugal.
This style is an amalgamation of Gothic and
Renaissance and is a style peculiar to Portugal of that time.
The decorative motifs of this style centered on Portuguese
dominance of seamanship and included cables and anchors with
seashells etc.
This type of construction was largely not
suited for Goa's weather and a number of these Churches were
subsequently rebuilt or remodeled and only one or two survives
to this day. This was the period that saw wide spread destruction
of Hindu temples with new Churches constructed on their sites.
Some notable churches of this era include
the Church at the Cabo near Panaji and the Church on the Island
of Divar off the coast of Old Goa. Most others are in ruins,
especially in Old Goa.
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