18th century Christian convent ruins in Goa gets heritage tag

The Goa government Friday declared the 18th century ruins of a Christian convent as a heritage structure, paving the way for its conservation.

The structure, among the first institutions of Christian studies in the state, is situated in Chimbel village near here.

"The request for declaring the faade of the building, which once housed institution of Christian religious studies and then a mental hospital in 1930, was made by Charles Correa Foundation to the state government," Goa Town and Country Planning Minister Vijai Sardesai said.

"This structure is an important site in cultural history of Goa. It was established in 1750 and it was one of the first institutions for Christian studies. Many Goans studied there to become priests," he said.

Sardesai said Correa Foundation had made a request to declare it as a protected structure under Goa Land Development and Building Construction Regulation Act, 2010.

"There is a significant architectural and archaeological study already prepared in 2017 by Fundacao Orient (a cultural institution) about this structure. Large portions of this structure have collapsed. The locals had demanded that it should be declared a heritage site," the minister said.