After getting over my initial shock of suddenly going from a stretch of rainy uninhabited jungle to a bustling tourist mecca, I found myself huddled within the St. Francis of Assisi Church. Archaeologists were in the process of photographing one of the sections inside and just after I arrived they closed the doors and shooed everyone out — but for some reason I was allowed to stay; probably because I looked wet and pathetic.
St. Francis of Assisi is not the oldest church in Velhi Goa but it is certainly one of the fancier ones. Built in 1661, it’s not the original church built on this particular location. A chapel was built by Franciscan monks in 1517 and was later torn down to make way for the current church.
Ironically, I was too busy looking up that I forgot to look down to see the floor which was made of 16th century carved gravestones.
