On a hill, to the East of Old City of Goa, commanding a picturesque view of the City of Goa and its surrounding villages, there stands a chapel of Our Lady of the Mount, so called because it stands on a Mount and thus was called Capela da Nossa Senhora do Monte.

Its summit was reached before by a flight of steps built of stones, now made provisions for tarred-road whereby a car can go up to the

chapel; only the last part of the flight some 100 meters or so, is kept untouched as a historical relic of the past. The churchyard is now paved with huge solid stones.

The Archaeological Commission placed here a marble slab in 1931 with the following inscription: AQVI POSTOU-SE A ARTILHARIA MAOMETANA CONTRA AFONSO DE ALBUQUERQUE PARA RETOMAR GOAEM MAIO DE 1510 (The Mohammedan artillery was posted here against Afonso de Albuquerque in order to defend Goa in May of 1510). Thus this hill is often mentioned by the Portuguese historians of India, as a bulwark of the Mohamadans.

The Chapel was erected under the orders of Afonso de Albuquerque, soon after the conquest in 1519 i.e. 9 years after the conquest. The chapel has 3 altars. The main is dedicated to Our Lady of the Mount. The side altars, dedicated to St. Anthony of Lisboa and to St. Anthony, the Hermit. The pulpit was robbed in 1980's when the chapel remained lonely on that hill. The chapel was vaulted. This chapel had residences where some years ago, the chaplain from the Cathedral, who was in charge of it, lived and looked after the parishioners.

The feast is now celebrated not on 8th September, but on Sunday after 8th September preceded by a novena. Daily Mass was celebrated when it was a parish; now on 8th of every month an evening Mass is celebrated.

From the front of the chapel you get a beautiful view of the River Mandovi Tributary which goes to Kumbarjua; from that height, you see the Tower of St. Augustine, Rosary Church, St. Anthony's Chapel, St. John of God Convent, Convent of St. Francis of Assisi, the Cathedral and very near below the Convent of St. Cajetan.