The Church of St Thomas in the village of Aldona was builtin the year 1596 on the banks of the River Mandovi. Having been built at anelevated height, a flight of steps was then cut into the face of the cliff togrant easier access to the parishioners. Upon climbing these stairs, onereaches an open landing of sorts that grants access to the church. All in all,an awe inspiring sight.
Inside, the walls and corridors of the church are ornatelyyet erratically decorated with biblical murals and statues of varying sizes.From both sides of the after-life to the consequences of ones actions, thesemurals help one acknowledge their fate and the constant need to follow a pathof righteousness.
Robbery seems to be a big part of folklore surrounding thechurch and it is not surprising, given the wealth that the church contains interms of historical artefacts. The church itself commemorates ‘Dia Dos Ladrões’in the month of June.
It is said that on June 12, 1741 a group ofwomen on a farm spotted a gang of thieves attempting to loot the church. At thefoot of the hill, a young boy was seen talking to the gang’s leader. This youngboy cautioned him not to proceed. The thieves paid no heed however. In themeanwhile, the aforementioned women tolled the church bell in order to alertthe villagers. Furthermore, these women took hold of the agriculturalimplements they had at hand and attacked the thieves. Some of them drowned inthe river while attempting to escape. The leader and a few others werecaptured. While the leader was being taken past the main altar, he fearfullyidentified the statue of St Thomas as the boy he had seen earlier, who hadadvised him against thieving from the Church. The Portuguese government wasawestruck by their bravery and deemed it a special day.
