This church is often overlooked due to its location on a wooded hilltop, some 2km east of the central area. A sealed road leads to an overgrown flight of steps (don’t walk it solo) and the hill on which the church stands commands an excellent view of Old Goa, with the church spires seemingly rising out of a sea of palms.
The church was built by Afonso de Albuquerque, completed in 1519, and has been rebuilt twice since; it now makes the perfect, suitably sorrowful place to watch the sunset over the ruins of once-mighty Old Goa. Usually locked, you can gain entry during the Feast of St Francis Xavier in December, and the Monte Music Festival in February, when concerts are held here.
