Lady Of The Immaculate Conception Church

This church is placed on the hillside and just high above the Adil Khan Palace. This church is the first church of Goa, was built in 1541. In this century this area was hilly and residential, land around was swampy covered by the field of paddy, coconuts groves and watery. It was in 1843 the land was developed the Viceroy when the took over Panjim and in the year 1855 the ‘Praca de Flores’, ‘Square of Flower’s was built in front of the church. And in the year 1619 this church was re-constructed by enlarging further looking at population growth.

In the year 1871, the great bell belongs to Augustinian Church of Our Lady which is in Old Goa was brought here in Panjim church to install, after the Golden Bell in the Cathedral, this is second bell which is large and heavy in weight, due to this the whole pediment of the façade was renovated and increased in the size. Church has ordinary interior, main altar honoured to Mary Immaculate, two more altars, on the left is Jess Crucified and to the right is Our Lady of the Rosary, on the both sides there are two marble statue one of ST. Peter and one of ST. Paul. On the right of the main altar in the south transept there is a Chapel of St. Francis Xavier.

The area above the church on hilltop is called Bairro Altos de Pilotos because large beacons used to be lit here to guide ships into the estuary before the light house. On the right side of the church down to the lane little further is Secretariat Building, on the left side of the Church down the lane few steps is Jama Masjid built in is Muslim College, further on the street is Hindu Temple of Mahalaxmi which is main temple in Panjim, In front of the church is the view of Municipal Garden, hotels, boutiques etc.