At a distance of 28 km from Panjim Kadamba Bus Stand and 1 km from Vasco Da Gama Railway Station, stands the lovely St Andrew’s Church in Vasco Da Gama, Goa.
Church of St. Andrew the Apostle was founded by the Jesuits in 1570. The inaugural mass was celebrated with great pomp on 5th April in 1570. The St. Andrew the Apostle Church, Vasco Da Gama, Goa is known as Santo André Igreja in Portuguese. The St. Andrew the Apostle Church, Vasco Da Gama, Goa is also referred to as the Vasco Church popularly in Goa. The Vasco church came to be founded via the Jesuits in 1570. The inaugural mass was celebrated with remarkable solemnity on the 5th of April in 1570. The St. Andrew church, Vasco Da Gama, was rebuilt in the year 1594, having gone through some extensive adjustment over the years.
Adil Shah’s soldiers had destroyed the original building in 1578. Viceroy Ferrao Teles de Menezes ordered the priests throughout Goa to build beautiful Churches of stone and lime. The present Church building probably belongs to 1594. The church had a magnificent ‘’facade’’ which was destroyed in the year 1950.
After the construction of the main building the original peak gable façade was restructured with Neo-Gothic features added to it. The parochial residence was extended in 1989 by the parish priest, late Father F. Couto. Major changes were made in 2009 when the current priest Father Jose Antonio Costa began expansion and renovation work. The church also has a new school building on the premises. A long and extended prayer hall was inaugurated in 2010.
A grotto built on the church premises was blessed by Father Jose Antonio Costa and Father Lino Gonsalves. The beautifully decorated grotto has statues of three shepherd children with the statue of Our Lady of Fatima carved in marble. There is also a statue of Joseph Vaz on the east side of the church.
On 30th November, the port town celebrates the feast of St Andrew and the town rejoices and comes together to celebrate the patron saint of spinsters and fishermen.
The Chapels without Chaplains within the Parish of St. Andrew the Apostle Church, Vasco Da Gama, Goa are Our Lady of Piety Chapel, Mangor, Vasco Da Gama, Goa, Our Lady of Merces Chapel, Vaddem, Vasco Da Gama, Goa, The Holy Cross Chapel, New Vaddem, Vasco Da Gama, Goa and the St Sebastian Chapel, Bhut Bhatt, Patrong, Vasco Da Gama.
Timings: 9 AM – 12 PM and 4 PM – 7 PM on all days.
