Our Lady of Miracles Church

The Church of Our Lady of Miracles stands in the centre of Mapusa, its white baroque facade a landmark above the surrounding market buildings. The current structure dates from 1838, built on the site of an earlier church destroyed by the Portuguese during their suppression of local religious practice in the 16th century. The interior is spacious and cool — a pleasant retreat from the heat and noise of the market outside — with good wooden pews and a prominent statue of the Virgin that is the focus of the church's festival.

The annual festival, held in the third week after Easter, is one of the more celebrated in North Goa and draws pilgrims from across the region. The church is surrounded by market stalls during festival time, giving it a festive and very Goan character that is quite different from its everyday quietness.

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A story
Our Lady of Miracles has an unusual interfaith dimension in Goa: the festival of the church, held in late April or early May, is also celebrated by the Hindu community of Mapusa as the festival of their goddess Mirabai. The same day, both communities worship — in some years at the same time — at the church and at the adjacent temple. It is one of the more striking examples of the syncretic religious culture that developed in Goa under Portuguese rule and has persisted since.