Churches and convents of Goa

Churches and Convents of Goa

Sé Cathedral holds the miraculous cross and is one of the largest cathedrals in Asia.
Location	Goa, India
Criteria	Cultural: (ii), (iv), (vi)
Reference	234
Inscription	1986 (10th Session)
Coordinates	15°30′8″N 73°54′42″E / 15.50222°N 73.91167°E / 15.50222; 73.91167
Location of Churches and convents of Goa in Goa Show map of Goa Churches and convents of Goa (India) Show map of India Churches and convents of Goa (South Asia) Show map of South Asia

Churches and Convents of Goa is the name given by UNESCO to a set of religious monuments located in Goa Velha (or Old Goa), in the state of Goa, India, which were declared a World Heritage Site^[1] in 1986.

The first converts to Christianity in Goa were native Goan women who married Portuguese men that arrived with Afonso de Albuquerque during the Portuguese conquest of Goa in 1510.^[2] During the mid-16th century, the city of

In the first two centuries of the Portuguese presence most of the churches and monasteries were erected that still populate the city, earning the admiration of travelers who pass through Goa.[5]^[6] These monuments reflect the cultural exchange and legacy of the Portuguese: while the architectural forms follow the European canon, the internal decoration of altars, altarpieces, paintings and furniture reflect the labour, the work of local artists.^[5][6] This was made possible by the presence of native Goan artists and labourers, which made it not necessary to import European artists or African slave labour (unlike in contemporary colonial Brazil).^[7]

From the late seventeenth century, trade competition with Dutch and British led to the economic decline of the city of Goa. Several epidemics ravaged the city and the river Mandovi became inadequate for the more modern ships. The Viceroy moved to

The Republic of India invaded and annexed Goa in 1961, ending more than 451 years of continuous Portuguese rule. However, the cultural influence continues to this day and it is evident in the religious monuments of Goa, declared a world heritage site by UNESCO in 1986.

Monuments

Igreja de Nossa Senhora do Rosário

The Church of Our Lady of the Rosary, built in 1543, is the oldest of the Old Goa churches still standing. Initially, it was a parish church, then collegial. On the outside, the church looks like a small fortress; the entrance porch flanked by small cylindrical towers with cupolas is typical of late-Gothic and Manueline Portugal, particularly in the Alentejo region.^[6] Inside, it highlights the Manueline vaults of the chapels. In the chancel, besides the altarpiece dedicated to Our Lady of the Rosary, there on the wall a carved alabaster cenotaph in Persian or Indian style, with the inscription: "Aqui jaz Dona Catarina, mulher de Garcia de Sa, a qual pede a quem isto ler que peça misericórida a Deus para sua alma"^[8] ("Here lies Dona Catarina, wife of Garcia de Sá, asks those who read this to asks mercy of God for the soul.") The floor below is the grave of Garcia de Sá (died in 1549), João de Castro's successor as Governor of India.^[8][9]

Sé Catedral of Goa

Goa was elevated to the seat of a bishopric in 1534 by Pope Paul III, and a towering cathedral church dedicated to Catherine of Alexandria was built in the first decades of colonization.^[8] This small church, insufficient to meet the faithful, was rebuilt from 1562,^[6] during the administration of Viceroy Dom Francisco Coutinho. The construction was extremely slow, since in 1619 only the body of the church was complete, with the missing facade completed in 1631.^[8]

The See of Goa is the largest building built by the Portuguese in Asia,^[6] 91 meters long and very wide, which probably contributed to the slow pace of works.^[8] The church has three naves of equal height, shaped hall-church, as do other Portuguese cathedrals of time as the Sees of Miranda do Douro (begun in 1552), Leiria (begun in 1559) and Portalegre (begun in 1556).^[10] The severe façade with three portals, has one tower: the right was destroyed during a storm in 1766.^[6] The church naves are vaulted and separated by two rows of pillars. Interior decoration stands out the magnificent altarpiece of the chancel in gilt.

Basilica of Bom Jesus

The

The greatest treasure in the interior of the church is the transept chapel where lie, since 1655, the remains of

The Basilica of Bom Jesus in Goa was ranked in 2009 as one of the Seven Wonders of Portuguese Origin in the World.

Church of St. Francis of Assisi

The

In 1510, Afonso de Albuquerque conquered the city of Goa.^[13] A chapel was built at the door of the Muslim wall of Goa, where the Portuguese invaded.^[13] This chapel was located near the site of the Royal Hospital, which stood north of the Convent of St Francis near the Arsenal.^[13][14] It is about 100 meters west of the Church of St Francis of Assisi. In 1534 the chapel was granted cathedral status by Pope Paul III and was subsequently rebuilt; the inscribed stone added during rebuilding states that Afonso de Albuquerque actually entered the city at this spot, and thus it's believed that the chapel stands on what used to be the main gate of the Muslim city, then known as Ela.

It is a rectangular plan building with a single nave, with quadrangular head. The shape is simple and the facade with three bodies separated by pilasters. The central body has an axial port straight lintel stone with triangular pediment topped with a window flanked by two bell towers of square section and coverage gable roof.^[13][14] The church interior is a single nave, with the chancel of stone, with ceiling cylindrical vat, also in stone.

Ruins of the Church of St. Augustine

The Augustinians too arrived in Goa in the sixteenth century, founding a convent and a church building from 1597.^[10] Currently, both are in ruins; the vault of the church collapsed in 1842 and the facades fell in 1936. Of the remains of the church, the most striking is a part of a tower that is still standing. It is known that the original facade was flanked by two huge towers of five floors, and the domestic side was a single nave with side chapels and transept.^[6]

Church of Divine Providence (São Caetano or Saint Cajetan)

In 1639, religious of the Theatines reached Goa to found a convent. They built the St. Cajetan Church by 1665, dedicated to St. Cajetan and to Our Lady of Providence, designed by the Italian architects Carlo Ferrarini and Francesco Maria Milazzo with the plan in the form of a Greek cross.^[12] The facade mimics the facade designed by Carlo Maderno for St. Peter's Basilica in Rome.^[6] It's crowned with a huge hemispherical dome, on the pattern of the Roman Basilica of St. Peter. However, instead of two cupolas it exhibits two quadrangular towers. The church exhibits superb examples of Corinthian architecture.

Four basalt statues of St. Paul, St. Peter, St. John the Evangelist and St. Matthew are located in niches in the facade that also inscribes the words, "Domus mea, domus oration/s" meaning, "My House is a House of Prayer" (etched across the portal).

Conservation and preservation

The UNESCO Bureau was informed that the World Heritage Center undertook a mission to Goa in January 1999 to develop a project proposal based on co-operation between the local authorities of Old Goa (India), Guimaraes (Portugal) and Brighton & Hove (UK) for submission to the European Union Asia Urbs Programme. During this mission, it was noted that while there is an important effort being made to conserve the individual monuments, the overall site is not cohesive, both visually and spatially. Widening of the roads, neglect of archaeological ruins and new spatial organization and landscaping have enclosed the individual monuments in garden squares which have no relation to the historic urban form, thereby making the site into a collection of monuments undermining the integrity of the site as a former port town.^[15]

The central government of India, upon consultations with the church of Old Goa (Catholic diocese), the State of Goa and locally based experts of the Fundação Orient (Portuguese institution), among other institutions and non-governmental organizations, and in close collaboration with the local branch of the Archaeological Survey of India, prepared a project proposal for urban conservation and preservation. The said proposal is now pending approval by the central Indian government prior to submission to donors. Subsequent discussions with the Portuguese Director General for National Monuments and Edifices (DGEMN) have resulted in a commitment of collaboration between the central government (India) and DGEMN to carry out an inventory of the site as the first step in elaborating a more coherent conservation management plan.

See also

• List of topics on the Portuguese Empire in the East

Gallery

• 
  Facade of the Church of St. Francis of Assisi (Igreja de São Francisco de Assis), a church that signifies best the blending of Portuguese-Manueline style into the later Tuscan style
• 
  In contrast to the simple outer façade the interiors of the Church of St. Francis are adorned lavishly in the Baroque style using Corinthian influences
• 
  The Tuscan Cathedral of Santa Catarina (Saint Catherine) at over 76m long and 55m is the largest church in Asia
• 
  Interior of the Santa Catarina (Saint Catherine) Cathedral
• 
  Main altar (nave) of the Basilica of Bom Jesus, famous throughout the Roman Catholic world for the casket of Saint Francis Xavier located in a nave (not seen in picture) beside the main altar
• 
  The silver casket of St. Francis Xavier inside the Basilica of Bom Jesus has thirty two episodes of his life depicted on all four sides of the silver plates
• 
  The 46 m high Saint Augustine tower (Torre de São Augustine) sits atop Monte Santo (Holy Hill) and was part of a monastery of the Augustinian order
• 
  Chapel of Santa Catarina built by Afonso de Albuquerque in 1510 to commemorate his triumphant entry on Saint Catherine's Day
• 
  Church of Divine Providence (Igreja da Divina Providência) besides the Convent of Saint Cajetan (Convento de São Caetano) is modelled after the initial Saint Peter's Basilica and has two towers as well as Corinthian columns and pilasters supporting a pediment, in which are kept the statues of the apostles.
• 
  Completed in 1589 under the able supervision of Br. Domingos Fernandes, the Casa Professa or the "Professed House" according to Jesuit law is one which is intended for the exercise of the ministries of the Society of Jesus in Goa
• 
  The surrounding areas are dotted with age-old crosses, all of which are still revered in Goa today
• 
  Portuguese cannons serve as a reminder of the glory days of the trading hub of Goa
• 
  A distant view of Old Goa today with the majestic churches and cathedrals rising above the lush green areas surrounding them
• 
  A smaller side-altar, common feature that graces most Goan churches
• 
  Ruins of the former city's religious spaces serve as a treasure to travelers to ponder over the scale of the once mighty city they catered to
• 
  Interior of the Royal Chapel of St. Anthony (Capela Real de Santo António)

References