The Church of St. Anne lies charmingly nestled in the lush greenery of Santana in Talaulim village. Known locally as Santana, the church is among the few Indian churches known for its wonderful Indian Baroque style of architecture. Its architectural excellence is a fine blend of Indian and European architectural styles.
Set in the serene surroundings of the Talaulim village flanked by the Siridao River, the Church of St. Anne is a delight to come to. With the renovations completed by the Archaeological Survey of India, the church is gradually emerging from years of neglect and the ravages of time. At present its white façade looks stunning against the green slopes of its surrounding hills and the luminous paddy fields on the other side.
It is by far one of Asia’s most outstanding examples of large surviving monuments built in the Baroque style. It is still one of the most renowned and distinguished churches, visited by many from in and around Goa. The village of Talaulim being situated near Goa Velha is easily accessible from Mapusa, Panaji (Panjim) and other major cities as well.
History
The church of St. Anne of Goa is noted for its remarkable architecture in India. The present day church was reconstructed by Mons Francisco do Rego with his own money. Due to some unforeseen circumstances, he could not complete the construction and Father Antonio Francisco da Cunha was bestowed with the responsibility of completing the construction of the church. The church was finally completed in 1965. The story as to how the church got the name of Saint Anne is very interesting.
The villagers who were living in Talaulim in Goa in the year 1577 purchased a plot of land on which a small monastery was to be built to ease the process of conversion. Though the monastery was constructed, it was not dedicated to any saint. One day a man reported an incident in which he had a vision of a woman walking down the hill with a cane and a hat and claimed that the monastery was her abode. At the same time, a Brahmin woman claimed that a similar woman had held her hand in her dream when she was very sick thus miraculously curing her. The woman had told her that her name was Anna and she wanted to reside in the monastery.
The Brahmin lady graciously converted to Christianity following the miraculous cure. The whole village was stunned and the priest decided to sanctify the church in the name of St. Anne. This is how the church came to be known as the Saint Anne church. Every year, the feast of St. Anne is celebrated throughout Goa on July 26th. In Talaulim it is celebrated with much more fun and enthusiasm and is known as Cucumber Feast. Though introduced by the Portuguese, the Goans modified the celebrations in their own style without changing the dates.
The Church of St Anne can be termed as the masterpiece of the Indian Baroque style and was once included in the ‘World Monuments Watch 2000 List of 100 Most Endangered Sites’ by the New York based WMF.
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