Church of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception

Church of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception dominates Panjim's Church Square from its hillock above the city as the oldest and most photographed church in Goa. First built as a chapel in 1541 by Portuguese sailors giving thanks for safe passage from Lisbon, the present Baroque structure with its gleaming white twin-towered facade and symmetrical zigzag staircase dates to 1619. The bell in the central tower, the second largest in Goa, was brought from the ruined Augustinian Monastery in Old Goa. A functioning parish, the church celebrates the Feast of the Immaculate Conception on 8 December with a week-long fair, novenas and fireworks.