Goa
Old Goa
The ancient Hindu city of Goa (Sanskrit Gove,Govapuri, or Gomant) lies in ruins. Nearby, the city of Old Goa (Portuguese Velha Goa), the former capital of Goa, was founded about 1440 and conquered by the Portuguese in 1510.
church facade
It is also nearly abandoned, although it contains several very old buildings, including the cathedral founded by the Portuguese conqueror Afonso de Albuquerque in 1511 and the convent of Saint Francis of Assisi (1517). Bom Jesus, a converted mosque dating from the same period, contains the tomb of the Spanish Jesuit missionary Saint Francis Xavier, who began his missionary work in Goa in 1542.
cross
Portuguese style church
At the height of its prosperity (1575?-1675?), Old Goa had a population of 20,000. By the mid-18th century, disease epidemics caused the Portuguese viceroy to move to Nova Goa (Panaji). From 1962 until May 1987, when it attained statehood, Goa was part of Goa, Damān, and Diu, a union territory of India named for the three districts it comprised. Damān and Diu retain territorial status.
Text from Microsoft Encarta
Another Portuguese style church
the interior
Panjim harbor
coastline
Church of
Saint Francis Xavier
the cathedral founded by the Portuguese
conqueror Afonso de Albuquerque in 1511
the altar
tomb of the Spanish Jesuit missionary Saint Francis Xavier, who began his missionary work in Goa in 1542
detail of the tomb
Other Countries in Asia
The continent of Asia extends from the Middle East to the Pacific ocean. It has many exotic peoples and cultures, and is a delight to the adventurous traveler. Click on these countries to see some of the photos I have taken over the last 25 years.
