St Paul Church in Goa

St. Paul church is a popular tourist attraction in Goa. It was consecrated on 25th January, 1543 which is the day of the conversion of St Paul. It is now in ruins and one can see only an arch in basalt stone which is the facade of the old church.

The church was established as a result of the efforts of two priests known as Diogo de Borba and Miguel Vaz. They also established the Santa Fe confraternity in India. The church had the sacred relics of St. Francis Xavier preserved in a silver casket which was later shifted to the Basilica of Bom Jesus.

St Paul church also had a college attached to it known as the St Paul College which was a very famous educational institution in India. It was also known to be a principal center of higher studies in the East which included a Master's as well as Doctorate degree. It was well known as in the year 1556 the first printing press in Asia was set up here.

During the year 1560 a foundation was laid for a bigger church and this building was pulled down. Between 1591 and 1675 the building was also set afire four times by some enemies of the Jesuits. As the building was in a dilapidated state, in the year 1829 the government decided to demolish it. Thus only the archway and some part of the facade can now be seen on the road taken from Old Goa that leads to Ponda.

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