The deserted city, containing churches and convents of outstanding architectural and religious importance, has been declared a World Heritage Site by the UNESCO.

Postal letters were returned to the sender, as the name "Old Goa" was unknown then, according to then- and long-time editor of the monthly, the great Goan historian late Father Moreno de Souza, S.J.

[3] The city was founded in the 15th century as a port on the banks of the Mandovi river by the rulers of the Bijapur Sultanate.

It was built to replace Govapuri, which lay a few kilometres to the south and had been used as a port by the Kadamba and Vijayanagar kings.

Malaria and cholera epidemics ravaged the city in the 17th century and it was largely abandoned, only having a remaining population of 1,500 in 1775.

It retains its religious significance in modern-day Goa, notably in its relations with Roman Catholicism.

This title was conferred upon the Archbishop of Goa as part of a settlement between the Holy See and the Portuguese government concerning the link between religious and political aspects of its territories.