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| Main altar and ceiling of Ribandar church. |
-Brian Mendonca
To be inside the church of Our Lady of Help, Ribandar - or Ribandar church - is to step back in time and recreate the legends of the past.
The roof of the church is believed to have been built by the wood of a Portuguese ship which was wrecked near it in the Arabian sea in the 16th century. In fact, the church, constructed by the Portuguese sailors in 1565 is supposed to be in the shape of a boat.
In peril of losing their lives, the sailors had prayed to Mother Mary who guided them to shore.
There are beautiful paintings high above the main altar (see pic. ) one of them depicting Mother Mary on the ship.
Once again Mother Mary has intervened to save souls from distress. The incident helps to increase our faith in her.
Prior to this incident, there was a small church in the present site where the body of St. Francis Xavier (1506-1552), enroute from Portuguese-held Malacca (present-day Malaysia), was housed on the night of 14 March 1554, before it was received in Old Goa.
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Pic of main altar of Ribandar church taken by Brian Mendonca on Saturday, 16 December 2023. Updated 17/12/23.
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