The first church in Siolim was built near the site of the Mae de Deus chapel in Gaunsavaddo in 1568. (There is a plaque commemorating this fact in the chapel compound). This church was probably a kutcha structure, and it survived for merely 32 years.
In 1600, the missionaries planned for a new and larger church in another location more central to the Christians of Siolim. The realization of this project seems in grave doubt due to lack of sufficient funds. At that time, two Portuguese merchants were caught in a severe storm while sailing from Portugal. They had with them a statue of St. Anthony, and vowed that if they made to port safely, they would build a church where they landed.
It so happened that their ship entered the Chapora River and docked on the left bank near the village of Marna. It was here they met the Franciscan missionaries looking for funds. The new church was dedicated to St. Anthony, instead of Mae de Deus (the Mother of God), and completed in 1630.
The Gaunsavaddo Chapel of Mae de Deus was constructed in 1847.
Goa is India's smallest state by area and the fourth smallest by population. Located in West India in the region known as the Konkan, it is bounded by the state of Maharashtra to the north, and by Karnataka to the east and south, while the Arabian Sea forms its western coast. Goa is India's richest state with a GDP per capita two and a half times that of the country as a whole. It was ranked the best placed state by the Eleventh Finance Commission for its infrastructure and ranked on top for the best quality of life in India by the National Commission on Population based on the 12 Indicators.
Source - Wikipedia
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