Chapel of Our Lady of the Mount

Contents

The Chapel of Our Lady of the Mount is a Roman Catholic church dedicated to the Virgin Mary in Old Goa, India. It is one of the oldest churches in the city and was built between 1510 and 1519.[1] The construction of the church was ordered by Afonso de Albuquerque, the governor of Portuguese India, immediately after the Portuguese conquest of Goa in 1510.[2] The chapel was completed in 1519. After the fall of the city, the chapel fell into ruins and was only restored in the early 21st century by Fundação Oriente, a Portuguese organisation in Goa.

Buildings and architecture

The chapel is located on a hill overlooking the Mandovi river, and is not easily accessible. It was built using laterite stone and the architectural style is Baroque with Mannerist influences.[3] Every year in November, the chapel courtyard plays host to the popular Monte Music Festival.[4][5]

Until 2001, the chapel was in ruins. A restoration project was then planned and funded by the Fundação Oriente, an organisation that maintains cultural links of Goa and Damaon with Portugal, in association with the state government.[6]

References

  1. 1."Chapel of Our Lady of the Mount". The Times of India.
  2. 2."HPIP". hpip.org.
  3. 3."Restoration of Capela da Nossa Senhora do Monte - Old Goa" (PDF). www.hms.civil.uminho.pt. 2001. Retrieved 5 July 2020.
  4. 4.Guides, Bluworlds; Das, Joydip. "Goa Pocket Travel Guide". Bluworlds Guides – via Google Books.
  5. 5.Oriente, Fundação (22 January 2020). "MONTE MUSIC FESTIVAL 2020".
  6. 6.Couto, Maria (5 July 2005). Goa: A Daughter's Story. Penguin Books India. ISBN 9780143033431 – via Google Books.