Church of the Mother of God
Religious Architecture
The Church of the Mother of God stands in the western outskirts of the city. Despite the alterations made on the upper part, the façade has a traditional Mannerist composition that came into vogue at the end of the 16th century and spread from the Arabian Sea to the Pacific. With the traditional triangular structure of Indo-Portuguese churches of Kerala, the façade is divided into three storeys separated by wide friezes and mouldings. It is divided into five vertical sections separated by pairs of Tuscan columns. The ceiling is in wood and has a system of trusses that is very similar to the structures found in churches in Goa and on the Malabar Coast, bearing witness to a typology that, despite undergoing adaptations, maintained the characteristics of a common model. A small stone baptismal font of holy water of delicate Manueline lines is a subtle reminder of the Portuguese presence in the region. In harmony with churches in the south of India, the church stands in a walled enclosure with a portal entrance.
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