The fortified city originally had four main gates. The “Da Ribeira” Gate (of the river), where Afonso de Albuquerque entered during the conquest of Goa on November 25, 1510, now marks the site of the Chapel of St. Catherine. The “Da Fortaleza” Gate (of the Fortress), also known as Dos Cais (of the Wharf), later became the location of the Arch of the Viceroys, built in 1598. The “Mandvim” Gate (of the Mandovi), also called the Customs Door, stood near the former Customs Office behind the Church of Divine Providence and the present-day Institute Pius X. The “Baçais” Gate (of the cattle market) was situated near today’s cemetery.
In 1679, under Governor António Paes de Sande, a fifth gate was added the Porta de Nossa Senhora da Conceição (Our Lady of Conception), which still survives in fair condition. The Arch of Our Lady of Conception and the Arch of the Viceroys are among the few visible remains of Portuguese-era improvements to the city walls, marking the line of defense of pre-Portuguese Goa.
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By 1510, as the city rapidly expanded, the old walls became obsolete, the moat was filled, and much of the fortification dismantled. Still, the gates were respected: the Quay Gate (Dos Cais) was integrated into the Palace of the Viceroys, the Baçais Gate into the Misericórdia complex, and the Riverside Gate replaced by the Chapel of Saint Martin. The Porta de Nossa Senhora da Conceição was initially sealed, then reopened, and later assumed a grim significance during the Inquisition, when the condemned were led through it to Mandovim Square for execution. The arch came to be known as the Gate of the Punished (Justiçados). It became a tradition for those condemned to offer prayers before the image of Our Lady set in a niche above the gate’s arch. To allow them to reach it, a stairway was constructed leading up to the niche.
Over time, the city of Goa was abandoned, but the Arch of Our Lady of Conception survived. Its statue was later relocated, and the arch with its classical design attributed to architect Júlio Simão, similar to that of the Arch of the Viceroys, was restored in the 1950s.
Today, these surviving arches stand as solemn reminders of Old Goa’s fortified past, its colonial transformations, and its layered history of faith, power, and justice.
