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Rachol Seminary is located in Salcette taluka . It is about 7 km from Margoa. The famous Seminary surrounded by the remains of a moat of an old Muslim fort and unending vistas of rice fields. The Rachol Seminary in South Goa has a chequered past. It was originally a Muslim fortress. The Portuguese converted it into a church and later into a prison. In the late 16th century, it acquired respectability as a seminary for Theological Studies, with the Jesuits rechristening it from College of All Saints to the College of St. Ignatius Loyola, the name of their Founder. Beauty Of The Rachol Seminary, Goa The Rachol Seminary has a church built in 1576, dedicated to Saint Ignatius Loyola - the founder of the Jesuit order, which remains in excellent condition. The church houses the uniformed statue of Saint Constantine on the richly carved and gilded main alter piece. It is said that fragments of his bones, brought from Rome in 1782 are enshrined here along with a small glass vial which once contained a little amount of the Saint´s blood. Something About The Rachol Seminary The central courtyard of the Rachol Seminary has a huge water tank and is surrounded by pillared walkways. The recent excavations there have unearthed the headless statue of Nandi, the Vehicle of Lord Shiva. It proves that the Seminary was built over a Hindu temple. The hall of the seminary has renaissance paintings of the Goan high clergy and some Portuguese royals. Fragments of the Hindu sculptures that were unearthed during the construction are preserved inside the college premises. The Rachol Seminary that was built by the Jesuits between 1606 and 1610 consisted of a hospital and a school for the poor besides the college for the trainee priests. Father Thomas Stevens setup the press and brought out some sixteen books, including the first translation of the Gospels into an Indian language. The Christian Purana published in 1616, was in Marathi. In 1626, Father Ribeiro had brought out the first Portuguese-Konkani dictionary.
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