The Arch of Conception

An old arch stands over a narrow, twisted road, half hidden by tree branches. The path leads to Old Goa, the former capital of Portuguese India.

After the Portuguese conquest of Goa in 1510, the city began to outgrow the massive wall surrounding it. As the wall was dismantled, four gates framing the roads in and out of town were left standing. During the Goa Inquisition, the condemned would stop at the Mandovim Gate on their way to their sentencing in the town square, praying to an image of Our Lady of the Conception mounted at its peak. In the mid-17th century, the gate was renamed after Our Lady.

The gate was restored during the 1950s, along with many Catholic churches, chapels, and convents in Old Goa. The arch still stands today, though the image of Our Lady has since been removed.