Portuguese Churches in Goa 

Claudius Buchanan wrote that: ‘Desiring to visit Goa, in 1805, I presented a short memoir to Marquis Wellesley, who was then the Governor-General of India. He gave orders that every facility should be afforded to me to investigate the literature and history of the churches and their collections of Biblical manuscripts.’ This is a quote from The Claudians: gardens, landscapes, reason and faith: John Claudius Loudon and Claudius Buchanan, Tom Turner (Kindle, 2024).

More about the Goa churches

Christianity in India has ancient roots, dating back to the arrival of St. Thomas the Apostle in the 1st century AD. The Saint Thomas Christians, also known as Nasranis, are a community in India who trace their origins to the early Christian tradition. They have historical connections to the Syriac Orthodox Church and the East Syriac Church. 

Roman Catholicism arrived in Goa with the Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama, who first landed in Goa in 1498. To solidify their religious presence, the Portuguese built numerous churches across Goa. These churches served as centres of religious activity, administration, and cultural exchange. Some of the earliest churches constructed in Goa include the Church of Our Lady of the Rosary in Old Goa, built in the early 16th century. The architecture of the churches in Goa reflects a blend of European and Indian styles, with elements such as whitewashed facades, intricate woodwork, and ornate altars. These churches served not only as places of worship but also as symbols of Portuguese power and influence.

Buchanan's journey from Calcutta to Goa is, for me, the most admirable period of his life. At other times he can seem too timid, too smug or too confident of his or his country's superiority. The trip to Goa was motivated by curiosity, particlarly about the history of India's ancient St. Thomas Christian churches. Buchanan was wealthy and had good contacts with colonial governors. But for a frail individual in bad health it was a brave undertaking, travelling on elephants through jungles with a small entourage. Buchanan's account of the trip (published in Pearson's Memoir) is interesting and very well written. Similarly, his meetings with the Portuguese Inquisition authorities in Goa were forthright and admirable, giving him reason to question things done in the name of Christianity. Buchanan had a Protestant distaste for Roman Catholicism but found time to make careful drawings of the ancient Goa churches.