Around 4 kilometers east of Old Goa, in the village of Gandaulim, India, on a hilltop, is an old church that has a fascinating connection with Croatia.
The Church of Sao Bras (Saint Blaise) was a chapel built by Croatian sailors and traders in 1541 and was later elevated to the status of a parish church in 1563. The church is a replica of Sveti Vlaho (St. Blaise) Church in Dubrovnik. It is believed that Croatian traders from that era settled in Gandaulim and formed their colony, which had around 12,000 residents once upon a time.
Croatian Indologist Zdravka Matisic discovered the reference to Croatia’s links with Goa while studying Sanskirt in India. After this discovery, an official delegation from Croatia visited this church in 1999 to further explore the historical connection between the two places.