Times of India | 1 month ago | 10-08-2022 | 06:32 am
PANAJI: As dusk falls, the towering 17th century church of St Francis of Assisi at the world heritage site of Old Goa looks resplendent in the colours of the tricolor. The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) has illuminated it as part of the Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav. The church with a three-tier facade built in 1661 and a convent that now houses the ASI’s archaeological museum and portraits gallery registers hundreds of footfalls daily. Set against the backdrop of an extensive green garden, it has its back to Se Cathedral, which was once considered the largest church in Asia. “The church has been illuminated since August 1 as part of the Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav,” an ASI official said. It is the only monument in Goa to be selected. A hundred monuments have been illuminated in the colour of the country’s flag across India. The colourful lighting is also part of the celebration to mark administering of 100 crore Covid vaccinations in the country. The monuments include some of the world heritage sites such as Humayun’s Tomb and Red Fort, Fatepur Sikri in Agra and Golconda Fort in Hyderabad among other monuments. Social media was abuzz with photographs of the St Francis of Assisi Church, though one post wrongly referred it to as the Se Cathedral.
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