Viva damão!

The first thing you see from your taxi window as you enter the outskirts of Small Daman are the twin steeples of an ancient Portuguese church across the creek on your left—like GPS pins. 

Once you set down foot in town, a casual glance out of a window, or from higher ground, or even a view from the ground up, or any vantage point in this centuries-old city, will more often than not, be met with the image of an equally ancient church or chapel or grotto or cross or niche.

What’s outstanding about these churches and chapels are the beautiful gilded wood carvings that adorn the altars, reredos and vaults, and the life-like statues which are also carved from wood. Though these have withstood the ultimate test of time—over 450 cycles of the southwest monsoon—they look newer than modern woodwork that has seen but a couple of monsoons.

A typical feature of the Manueline architecture of these Portuguese churches and standalone chapels is the adro— a platform, like the Taj Mahal’s, with a wide flight of two or three steps on its front and sides—on which they are built.

Four heritage churches that are in the spotlight are:

• The Igreja Matriz (Mother Church) aka Bom Jesus Church 

• Nossa Senhora dos Remédios aka Our Lady of Remedies Church 

• Nossa Senhora do Mar aka Our Lady of the Sea Church 

• San Domingos aka the Dominican Monastery 

But there’s one church that has been hiding in plain sight of the hundreds of people milling about it every day. Though its twin steeples are visible from the outskirts of Small Daman, the church itself is elusive.

Similarly, just two heritage chapels enjoy the spotlight:

• Nossa Senhora dos Rosário aka Our Lady of Rosary Chapel 
• Nossa Senhora das Angústias aka Our Lady of Anguish Chapel 

But there’s four chapels hidden from the general public as they’re housed inside other heritage buildings…