Book Review: The Churches of Goa

In Joanne Taylor’s new book The Churches of India, the Sydney-based scholar, writer and photographer brings forth her love for Indian architecture and culture in a comprehensive form. Contrary to popular belief, Christianity didn’t arrive with colonisation, but rather with the arrival of St Thomas in 52 CE. It was only after the Portuguese arrived that churches were inexplicably linked with the history of colonisation. This book takes the readers on a journey, right from St Thomas establishing churches in Kerala, to Vasco da Gama when he came to India’s shores in 1498 and the beginning of European influence, especially in Goa, to the East India Company and British rule, and finally, French remnants found in Puducherry and Chandannagar. The book has over 300 photographs to complement the detailed text that showcases how church architecture has evolved over centuries in the different regions of the country.