Holy Spirit Church: Secrets of 450-Year-Old Goa

Experience the rich history and captivating architecture of Margao on a cultural walk. Discover the secrets of the Holy Spirit Church and uncover the mysteries of a Goan mansion.

Duration: 3 hours
Cancellation: 1 day learn more
Highlights
  • Holy spirit church - The economic & cultural capital of Goa, Margao is known for its rich culture and historic architectural landmarks!

On our Margao Cultural Walk, we explore the oldest and most picturesque parts of Margao, a town donned with vast Goan mansions. One of the oldest churches of Goa, the Holy Spirit Church, a 450+ years old structure, located in the heart of Margao, holds great secrets that cannot be found in any other church in the world, right from its architecture to a special phenomenon that takes place every year!

We also explore a Goan mansion full of mysteries! The infamous ‘Margao Massacre’ takes place here, with some marks that speaks of the battles that were fought in the making of Margao. We will then take you on a journey of how the town was established

What's Included
  • Soul Travelling Goodies
  • All fees and/or taxes included
  • Complimentary snacks
What's Not Included
  • Charges for any additional meals / food and drinks
  • Private transportation
Additional Information

One of the oldest churches of Goa, the Holy Spirit Church, a 450+ years old structure, located in the heart of Margao, holds great secrets that cannot be found in any other church in the world, right from its architecture to a special phenomenon that takes place every year!
We also explore a Goan mansion full of mysteries! The infamous ‘Margao Massacre’ takes place here, with some marks that speaks of the battles that were fought in the making of Margao. We will then take you on a journey of how the town was established

  • from architecturally rich houses holding stories in its details to splendid structures, once crucial for the Portuguese. We also visit a special monument that hosted one of the greatest personalities of India!
    This trail will help you explore the beautiful lanes & suburbs of Margao on foot that come alive with a local narrating stories and legends of the town with a last stop for some local delicacies.
Location
Holy spirit church
Holy Spirit Road
The Ambassador will be opposite the Holy Spirit Church, Near the Stairs. Just next to this is the playground.
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
4.9
(224 Ratings)
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Gorgeousgetaways
Sep 26, 2024
Margao Cultural Walk - I recently joined the Margao Cultural Walk with Soul Travelling, and it was a fantastic experience! Ambassador Zena shared engaging stories about Margao’s Portuguese-Goan heritage, taking us through old houses, churches, and markets. A wonderful way to discover the city's hidden gems in just a few hours!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
213raveenas
Sep 13, 2024
Margao walk - I recently did a walk trail in South Goa, and it was a fantastic experience! The trail was not only scenic but also very informative. Zena and Heidi were incredibly helpful and made the whole experience even better with their insights. Had a great time, and I’d highly recommend it!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
261riyat
Sep 8, 2024
A historical glimpse of Margao - The view was amazing, although the tour guide can drop some formalities along the tour, rest everything was fine. Food op
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Wanderer07820256036
Sep 4, 2024
Margao in a couple hours. - Nice trip and well conducted. Take you on a quick tour of the old Margao area and explain much about the buildings, culture and history of the same. Includes a nice tea at a great pastry shop.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Richad62
Sep 3, 2024
Goa, a lot more - Seeing Goa with a lens of history was a long wish. Zena was our guide and she took us around Margao, patiently answering our questions. Goa has piqued our curiosity and we will definitely come back for more.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Z5863fcheidir
Aug 31, 2024
Beautiful experience - Attended the MCW trail with Jaden and he definitely delivered it beautifully! He explained the history of Goa and also about the beautiful city of Margao.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Alankuriachan
Aug 31, 2024
Explore the “Real” Goa! - The experience was truly amazing and a huge shoutout to Jade & Heidi, Because of them I know a real side of Goa not the one which is known in the mainstream. Took time to explain each and everything in detail! Will surely be back for another trails and with more people next time! :)
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Jomyj604
Aug 30, 2024
Goa through the eyes of Soul Travelling - I really enjoyed the cultural walk with Solo travelling, especially with Zena Coutinho who guided me with a detailed tour about Margao, while also keeping the tour very personalized and suited to my own taste and keeping discussions super interesting. A must do while in Goa!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Sumit
Aug 29, 2024
“Poee’tic” Margao! - Soul Travelling is highly recommended for all who come to Goa. It literally is food for the soul. They curate off beat experiences centered around Goa’s heritage. To celebrate my wife’s birthday we indulged in an experience of seeing traditional Goanese Poee bread being made by a baker who is retired (Mr. Godinho) plus making our own breads and partaking traditional Goan Date Wine. We were met by Zena Coutinho - our ambassador - an absolute live wire, passionate about preserving Goan history, knowledgeable, respectful with the people who are showing the heritage and wonderful at managing guests! Our trip started from an Italian restaurant - Da Tita by Magic Italy (a beautiful place). From there we went to Mr. Godinho’s bakery - an old bakery with a really old traditional mud oven (this was like seeing being transported into an era eons ago) being run by a very young in spirit 77 year old man who would would give people half his age a run for their money. It was so instructive to see him work with his hands teaching us the spirit of industriousness, dignity of labour, fierce self pride and the need to honour and preserve heritage. What he showed was pure skill and commitment to his craft - an absolute rarity in today’s times. We had so many questions of him. But he answered all of them with a beatific smile - never getting disturbed. We saw him roll the dough into the different breads - Poee, Lena, KanKon etc. (please pardon my spellings - not done with the intent to hurt sentiments), proof them, flatten them into different shapes (for the Poee he used a bran mix) while his assistant (tough guy) went about readying the oven by removing the wood, cleaning the oven and then reusing the waste for fertiliser/proofing the oven top. And now comes the bugle worthy part. Both of them then put the breads in one by one and in 5 mins we had the freshly baked breads - hot and drool worthy, healthy (the Poee). We then had the most deliciously divine experience when Zena gave us the Poee bread slathered with butter!!!!! Pure Food Heaven. :-) After troubling Mr. Godinho for some pics (who sportingly obliged us) we then went to the next part of the trail - to the Majorda station (a must visit for all train lovers!) opposite to the bakery where every Independence Day a Sathyanarayana Pooja is organised (a nugget of information shared by Mr. Godinho again). As we sat on the station bench, Zena took over in full zeal and shared with us a turbo charged history lesson (using her teaching experience!) weaving in Goa, it’s history and the history of Poee. It was fascinating to hear and answer questions like school kids 😊. And then there were the customary selfies on the railway tracks - fulfilling our inner SRK so to say. From there on was the last part of the experience trail - the “make your own sandwich from the bread you got from the bakery”. We went back to Da Tita where a whole veg filling spread (me being a meat lover was a tad disappointed 😊) was there. In my fam there was a competition on who made the best sandwich. I used my culinary skills background to create a melange of flavours (side note: see how easily food reviews are written by using certain big words without ever describing the food in its truest detail!!) and naturally won 😊😊. Da Tita has a wonderful lemonade that was served to us and one that cannot be missed! What made the trip special was that my wife’s birthday too was celebrated post that!! And this is how the 3 hour experience journey came to an end! A big thank you to Team Soul Travelling. Pratik Joshi was so prompt and ensured that we were connected to the right person. And then Zena took over and made the experience so memorable. Thank you once again. You have left us craving for more. We will use other trails the next time we are back. And of course - you are highly recommended. Duh! 🙄
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Arnoldd41
Aug 29, 2024
Explore the unknown - Amazing trail, lots of knowledge about ancient culture. Zenna was a fun host too. Would definitely recommend if in Margao City
Review provided by Tripadvisor
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