Panaji: Lightning struck the more than 250-year-old Church of St Stephen during a fierce storm at St Estevam on Friday afternoon, damaging its sacristy section. No injuries were reported.Amid brisk showers, lightning pierced the northern roof and wall at the rear of the west-facing church, which stands on a hillock. The strike created two crevices and small cracks in the wall and damaged roof tiles and timber. Debris was scattered inside the sacristy, where priests prepare for Mass.The roof has been covered temporarily, with restoration of the heavily damaged timber being the first priority, sources said. Church authorities called engineers and others to inspect the damage.Churches have previously been struck by lightning because of their elevated structures. In 1776, lightning destroyed the 35m-high northern tower of Se Cathedral. The tower was never reconstructed. Another strike in 2014 caused minor damage.At Old Goa, Archaeological Survey of India has installed the latest technology, replacing the old copper-strip mechanism, to protect most major monuments from lightning strikes.
