Friday, April 6, 2018, Goa (Mormugao), India (1 of 2)

The state of Goa was the cultural center of Portuguese India for 450 years.  This was the first region in India colonized by Europe, and the last to get its freedom. Nowhere in India is the colonial influence so prominent.  About a third of Goans are Catholic and the colonial styles of the Old Town have earned it a place as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.  Among its magnificent cathedrals and monasteries, the Se Cathedral is one of the largest churches in Asia.  The Basilica of Bom Jesus, one of India’s finest examples of baroque architecture, holds the remains of St. Francis Xavier, the city’s patron saint.  Hindu mosques and temples are also ubiquitous here.

On today’s shore excursion we took in the colonial wonders of the former Portuguese state of Goa, set amid a lush and tranquil countryside.  This is a land of spice farms and welcoming people.  We drove with our guide to Old Goa, the region’s historic city where the Basilica of Bom Jesus stands as testament to the city’s Catholic heritage.  We saw the renowned Sé Cathedral, the largest church in Asia.  In Goa’s capital of Panaji, we admired the charm of red-roofed houses, sunny squares, and well-kept gardens spread along the wide Mandovi River.  We absorbed the city’s relaxed atmosphere along the leafy avenues that thread their way past balconied Portuguese-style houses.  We visited the Largo de Igreja, or Church Square, where the baroque Church of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception once welcomed Portuguese sailors after their long voyage from Lisbon.

Our Goa shore welcoming committee.

The rose bud is lasting days later, even after carrying it around in backpack for over 4 hours.

Sites along the way to our first excursion stop.

Fruits and vegetable markets.

Religions in India are very tolerant of each other.  Christianity got beginnings from the days of Portuguese and British colonial days but accounts for less than 3% of the population of India.

Ten-foot high electric transformers.

New and old apartment houses next to each other.

Old barges ready for scrapping; low tide.

Our first stop, a very old and large church.

The Basilica of Bom Jesus or Borea Jezuchi Bajilika is located in Goa, India, and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.  The basilica holds the mortal remains of St. Francis Xavier.  The church is located in Old Goa, which was the capital of Goa in the early days of Portuguese rules. 

'Bom Jesus' (literally, 'Good (or Holy) Jesus') is the name used for the Ecce Homo in the countries of Portuguese colonization.  The Jesuit church is India’s first minor basilica, and is considered to be one of the best examples of baroque architecture in India.

Construction work on the church began in 1594.  The church was consecrated in May 1605 by the archbishop, Dom Fr. Aleixo de Menezes.  This world heritage monument has emerged as a landmark in the history of Christianity.  It contains the body of St. Francis Xavier, a very close friend of St. Ignatius Loyola with whom he founded the Society of Jesus (the Jesuits).  Francis Xavier died on Sancian Island while en route to continental China on (December 13, 1552).  The Baroque style main altar is gilded and bears the statue of Ignatius of Loyola standing between Solomonic pillars above which is the name of Jesus in the IHS monogram and the Holy Trinity.

High pulpit on side wall.

This is one of the oldest churches in Goa and in India.  The floor is of marble inlaid with precious stones.  Apart from the elaborate gilded altars, the interior of the church is simple.  The main altar holds a large statue of St. Ignatius of Loyola, the founder of the Society of Jesus (Jesuits), and one of Francis Xavier's companions whose words drew him to a reformed life.  "What does it profit a man," Ignatius had asked Francis, “if he gains the whole world and loses his soul?"

Pipe organ in the choir loft.  Note the heigth of the pulpit.

St. Xavier's casket with glass on one side.

The body of Francis Xavier was first taken to Portuguese Malacca and two years later shipped back to Goa.  It is said that the saint's body was as fresh as the day it was buried.  The remains of the saint still attract a huge number of tourists (Christian and non-Christian alike) from all over the world, especially during the public viewing of his body every ten years (last held in 2014).  The saint is said to have miraculous powers of healing.

The church also holds paintings of scenes taken from the life of St. Francis Xavier.  The mausoleum, on the top of which is placed the silver casket with the body of St. Francis Xavier (1696), was the gift of the last of the Medicis, Cosimo III, the Grand Duke of Tuscany.

The mausoleum was designed by the 17th-century Florentine sculptor Giovanni Battista Foggini.  It took ten years to complete.  The casket containing his body is made of silver.  The holy relics of the saint are displayed every ten years during the anniversary of the saint's death.  His liturgical feast is 3 December.

On the upper level, overlooking the tomb, is the Bom Jesus Basilica Art Gallery, containing the works of the Goan surrealist painter, Dom Martin.

Author and fellow Jesuit Anthony De Mello was also from Goa and mentions the basilica in his writings. The body is shown every ten years to validate the miracle of no decay that resulted in his sainthood.

Original timbers that the thought may need to be replaced shortly.

Caption outside under an overhang.

Exterior passage way on one side of the church.

Inside but not visible, the gaze of the gilded statue of Ignatius of Loyola is fixed upwards in awe at the name of Jesus (IHS) on the gilded emblem of the Jesuits, encircled in radiant rays.  Over the emblem, is the Holy Trinity -Father, Son and Spirit - the ultimate muse and focus of the pious Christian.  The altar table which is used in Holy mass is gilded and adorned with the figures of Christ and his apostles at the Last Supper, along with the words "Hi Mhoji Kudd", which in Konkani means "This is my Body," from the Institution Narrative.

The Se Cathedral was only a quarter mile away so we walked to it.

Vegetation along the way between the two churches.

Heavy winds must be frequent occurrences here.

The Sé Catedral de Santa Catarina, known as Se Cathedral, is the cathedral of the Latin Rite Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Goa and Daman and the seat of the Patriarch of the East Indies.  It is located in Old Goa, India.  The architecture style of the Se Cathedral is Portuguese-Manueline.  The exterior is Tuscan, whereas the interior is Corinthian.  The church is 250 feet in length and 181 feet in breadth.  The frontispiece stands 115 feet high.  It had two towers, but one collapsed in 1776 from lightning damage and was never rebuilt.

The word Sé is Portuguese for See.  The Se Cathedral was built to commemorate the victory of the Portuguese under Afonso de Albuquerque over a Muslim army, leading to the capture of the city of Goa in 1510.  Since the day of the victory happened to be on the feast of Saint Catherine, the cathedral was dedicated to her.

 

It was commissioned by Governor George Cabral to be enlarged in 1552 on the remains of an earlier structure. Construction of the church began in 1562 in the reign of King Dom Sebastião.  The cathedral was completed in 1619 and was consecrated in 1640.

In 1953, the Cathedral was presented with "The Golden Rose" by Venerable Pope Pius XII.  The Golden Rose is a gold ornament, which the Popes of the Catholic Church have traditionally blessed and conferred as a token of reverence or affection.  It is placed on the tomb of St. Francis Xavier.

 

The first Lithuanian, a Jesuit, Andrius Rudamina arrived in India in Goa on August 22, 1625.  Almost 400 years later, 2015, a memorial stone bearing Andrius Rudamina's name was erected in the courtyard of Se Cathedral in Old Goa.

The Se Cathedral also houses a baptismal font made in 1532 which was used by Saint Francis Xavier in order to baptise several Goan converts.

The Se Cathedral's tower houses a large bell known as the "Golden Bell" on account of its rich tone.  It is said to be the largest in Goa, and one of the best in the world.  The clapper is the size of a 5" 8" man.  

The main altar is dedicated to Catherine of Alexandria, and there are several old paintings on either side of it.  On the right there is a Chapel of the Cross of Miracles, where a vision of Christ is said to have appeared in 1619.  There are six main panels, on which scenes from the life of Saint Catherine are carved.  There is a huge gilded reredos above the main altar.

There are seventeen alcove jutting out from the sanctuary, one of the highest counts for any church.

From this church we drove into the little town of Panjim to make a quick stop at the Church of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception.  A separate blog will be posted to also include pictures of town and scenes along the way back to the cruise ship.