Old Goa Monuments - Ruins of St. Augustine Complex

A half day scooter ride to hop from one majestic architecture to the other in the UNESCO listed World Heritage Site of Old Goa is never enough to absorb its Indo-Portugal essence and byzantine aura. When you're left with poverty of time the careful traveler in you auto-transforms into a casual traveler and I did the same to keep up with Darwin's theory. Among half a dozen (more than that actually) of splendid monuments I visited in old Goa, which comprised- the Basilica of Bom Jesus, Se' Cathedral, Church and Convent of St Francis of Assisi, Archaeological Museum (Archiepiscopal Palace), Chapel of St Catherine, the Tower of the Church of St Augustine and the Church of our Lady of the Rosary, except the ruins of St. Augustine complex all other archaic structures boasted explicitly of their historical glory and unparalleled combat against sadist time! The Tower of the Church of St. Augustine, a dilapidated bell tower about 46 meters high and more than 400 years old is the prime attraction for travelers visiting the ruins of St. Augustine complex. Although it was my last travel-hunt at old Goa, owing to its pitiable present state, yet spectacular visual appeal I couldn't help inaugurating my Old Goa Monument series with this particular site.

Inspecting the base area and mossed ruins of the complex even a naive can say that it was a massive structure once upon a time. The colossal five-storied bell tower I just spoke of was built with laterite and forms part of the facade of the Church of St. Augustine facing the east. In the St. Augustine complex you can see ruins of eight chapels, four altars and extensive convent with numerous cells. It may interest someone- why it is only the St. Augustine Church that crumbled down while most other churches of old Goa stand tall till date? Well, St. Augustine complex was abandoned due to the expulsion of the religious orders from Goa in 1835 followed by its ruthless demolition order by Portuguese government in 1846. The collapse of the main vault of the St. Augustine Church marked the prologue of this soulful tale. Unlike most other monuments, the gate of St. Augustine complex is not locked even beyond official visiting hours. So, it'll be rewarding for a photo enthusiast to infiltrate the unguarded campus in the early morning hours. There will be another old Goa monument in my next photo post... Any lucky guess?