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Out of the more than twenty fabulous churches which once existed in the old city of Velha Goa, only ten remain today. And of these four are actually chapels. The churches were located on and between seven hills around the Velha Goa region.

 

The Monte Santo (Holy Hill) at Velha Goa was the site for the the monastery of the Augustinian order, attached to which was the enormous church of Nossa Senhora da Graca (Our Lady of Grace). The Tower and Church were built in 1602 by the Augustinian friars who arrived in Goa in 1587.

 

The tower is one of the four towers of St. Augustine Church that once stood at the site. initially built of laterite and colossal in size, almost forty-six metres high, it had four storeys. The Tower was meant to serve as a belfry and the Church had eight richly adorned chapels and four altars and a convent with numerous cells attached to it.

 

(from: images.google.pt/imgres?imgurl=http://www.indiatourism.co...

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