Chapel of Our Lady of Mount
Location
The Chapel of Our Lady of Mount is located in Old Goa.
Best time to visit
Goa can be visited whole year round, the peak season being December
to February.
An Introduction
Built on top of a hill, the Chapel of Our Lady of Mount, lies about
2-km on the main road towards Ponda, in Old Goa. The Chapel was
constructed by Alphinsi de Albuquerque in 1510. The chapel was made
to mark the victory of Alphnso over Goa. Built in typical Portuguee
style, the church is an absolute delight to eyes. The three altars
in the chapel are dedicated to Our Lady of Mount, St. Anthony and
St. Andrew. The chapel is built of laterite and is plastered with
lime mortar. During 16th century, King Adil Shah attacked Portuguese
and made an artillery station on the hilltop near the chapel, that
inflicted heavy damages on the Portuguese forces.
Architecture of the Chapel
The Chapel is vaulted and has the dimensions of a reasonable
church, with three altars , the middle one being consecrated to Our
Lady of Mount. A building with two floors is attached to it, with
some cells and apartments fot the residence of the Chaplain.
Constructed to house a few hundred devotees, the chapel is a
rectangular hall oriented in the East-west direction ; the east end
with the main sanctuary and the west end with a mezzanine to house
the choir and is approached by a spiral staircase in the northern
wall. The Vestry and The Sarcristy are located adjacent to the main
sanctuary. The chapel is constructed over a laterite hill that forms
a strong base for its foundation. It has load bearing masonry walls
of laterite with a mixture of mud and laterite aggregates sandwiched
between the two leaves of single block thick laterite masonry , laid
in lime mortar.
Getting there
Reaching Old Goa is easy, as one can get buses, taxis and
motorcycles from Panajim. The Chapel is 2 Km from Old Goa, so one
can hire taxi or auto-rickshaw to reach to the place. Local
transportation also include Motorcycles on hire.
Accommodations
Goa has a vast option for stay. There are many luxury, star rated
and budget hotels available all ovber Goa. Old Goa is also no
exception. One can also opt for stay in Panaji, 10 Km from Old Goa.
Government of India and Goa also have hotels and guest houses in
Goa.
