
Surrounded
by fertile farmland, the town of Margao was once a major religious
centre, with dozens of wealthy temples and dharmshalas (dormitories).
In fact the name Margao is thought to be the Portuguese corruption
of the word Mathgram (from Math - a Hindu religious centre that
used to exist there) However most of these were destroyed when the
Portuguese absorbed the area into their Novas Conquistas during
the 17th century.
Margao has an old-worldly charm about it because of its Portuguese
churches, and some magnificent specimens of old Portuguese houses
complete with shady balcaos (porches) and oyster-shell windows in
its Borda area.
The Largo de Igreja, or the Church of the Holy Spirit as it is also
known, dominates the entrance to the city, just north of the Municipal
Garden square. The church area is surrounded by beautiful old residential
houses still in pristine condition. The church was built by the
Portuguese in 1675 and is one of the finest examples of late-Baroque
architecture in Goa, boasting a pristine white façade and
an interior dripping with gilt crystal and stucco.