The Wonder that was Velha Goa

Manish Desai

(3rd December is the Feast of St. Francis Xavier, fondly addressed by Catholics as Goencho Sahib. This year also marks the decadal public display of sacred relics of St.Xavier, which is expected to be attended by nearly 5 million faithful from all around the world. Mandesa’s BLUE PLANET takes a look at the past splendour of Old Goa)

Located approximately 10 kms to the west of Goa’s capital Panaji, Old Goa or Velha Goa is a historical city and the former colonial capital of Goa. Old Goa was a thriving city even before the Portuguese arrived in 1510. It had been the second capital of the Bahmani Sultan Adil Shah after Bijapur.  The city was founded in the 15th century as a port on the banks of the Mandovi river to replace Govapuri, which lay a few kilometres to the south and had been used as a port by the Goa Kadamba and the Vijaynagar kings. The city contained Adil Shah’s palace, and his mosques and prayer halls.  Unfortunately none of these structures remain in existence today except for the ruins of the gateway to the palace.

The Portuguese explorer Afonso de Albuquerque conquered Goa in 1510 and the Portuguese ruled the territory until 1961. The colony of Goa, which had its centre in Velha Goa, became the capital of the vast eastern Portuguese Empire, sharing the same civic privileges as Lisbon. As its reputation grew, the fabulous city attracted visitors from all over Europe. Under the Portuguese,  Velha Goa grew rapidly in size and splendour, eventually coming to rival Lisbon itself. At the height of the Portuguese power, it was called the `Rome of the Orient’. Its population, then estimated to be around 300,000, surpassed that of even the established European cities like London.

During the mid-16th century, Velha Goa was the centre of Christinization in the East.  Afonso de Albuquerque built the first church here, that of Our Lady of the Rosary. The construction of Churches continued at a fast pace and eventually there were some 12 huge and magnificent churches and monuments roughly in an area of one square kilometre in Velha Goa. The churches in Velha Goa aimed to awe the local population into conversion and to impress upon them the superiority of the foreign religion. The facades were accordingly made tall and lofty and the interiors magnificent. Local laterite bricks were used in the construction of the churches, which were then plastered and finished with a lime whitewash. The colour white was so identified with churches that the local administration ruled that no house could be painted that colour.

The city had as many as seven markets where traders came from China, Arabia, Zanzibar and other Indian states to trade in silk, cotton, spices and perfumed oils, etc. There were markets for blacksmiths, goldsmiths, fish and meats, and one for diamonds too. Rua Direita, meaning the ‘Right Path’ was the main avenue which lead from the wharf, under the Viceroy’s Arch and passed through the centre of the city. It was lined with shops and palatial villas of the rich. The magnificent splendour of Old Goa was however quite short-lived. By the end of the 16th century the Portuguese maritime and colonial power waned. 

The fortunes of Velha Goa began to dwindle too. The city's decline was accelerated by the activities of the Inquisition and the epidemic of plague. 

The  Mandovi river too started to silt up, making it difficult for the ships to berth at the once-bustling port. Soon, in 1759, under the orders of the viceroy, Conde do Alvor, the capital was shifted to Panaji. Most of the buildings except the churches, were pulled down and the rubble used to build the new capital.

Full of history,  Velha Goa today is home to some scenic churches and convents, that are well maintained by the Archaelogocal Survey of India  and worth a visit. These monuments of Goa exerted great influence in the 16th-18th centuries on the development of architecture and painting by spreading forms of Manueline, Mannerist and Baroque art throughout the countries of Asia where Catholic missions were established.  The convents and churches of Velha Goa were inscribed as UNESCO World Heritage Monuments in 1993. 

Basilica of Bom Jesus is the most sacred of all the churches in Velha Goa as it contains the 462 years old mortal remains of the Jesuit missionary St.Francis Xavier.  The church which is a fine example of Baroque architecture is also the only church in Velha Goa which is not plastered from outside since it was removed in 1950. The foundation stone of this remarkably large church was laid on 24 November 1594 and the church was consecrated by Fr. Alexia de Menezes, the Archbishop of Goa. In 1946 it was raised to the status of a minor Basilica. The church is called "Bom Jesus" meaning 'good Jesus' or 'infant Jesus' to whom it is dedicated. 

The interior of the church is built in Mosaico-Corinthian style and is remarkable for its charming simplicity. The richly gilded main altar has the figure of infant Jesus and above it is a large statue of St. Ignatius Loyola, founder of the order of Jesuits. The Holy trinity - the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost are depicted above. To the south of the Church on the right lies a lavishly and exquisitely decorated chapel and the tomb of St. Francis Xavier. 

St. Francis Xavier

Born in Spain on April 7, 1506, St. Francis Xavier was a contemporary of Ignatius Loyola. He came to India with the Portuguese Viceroy of Goa in 1543, and immediately undertook the task of influencing the Goan people. He went from street to street with a hired town crier, asking people to attend his meetings and listen to his sermons. He took the help of Goan scholars and translated the Creed, the Lord's Prayer, the Ten Commandments, and the Ave Maria. He baptized the inhabitants of 30 villages.

To spread the message of Christ, he sailed to the Spice Islands in 1545, and then went on to Japan in 1549 for a year to spread Christianity. After returning to India for a brief 15 months, he proceeded to China, against the wishes of the Portuguese viceroy. It was in the Sancian Island, about 10-km from the mainland of China that he died of fever on December 2, 1552.

St Francis Xavier was buried with two layers of quicklime to accelerate decomposition of the body to facilitate transfer of his bones to Goa, as he had desired. However, twice in 1553 the body was exhumed, and both times it had remained preserved. The saint’s incorrupt body reached Goa in March 1554 and was kept in several churches before being taken to the Bom Jesus Basilica 1635.

Every 10 years the silver casket containing the mortal remains of St. Francis Xavier are brought down and taken in a procession to Se Cathedral, where it is kept for public veneration. The exposition, which began on November 22 this year, will continue till January 4, 2015. Father Alfred Judas Vaz, Convenor of the Exposition Committee says more than 5 million faithful are expected to pay respect to their most beloved saint this time. He says it is a miracle that the body has remained intact for centuries, although it has shrunk a little in recent decades. 

Se Cathedral was built to commemorate the victory of the Portuguese over the Sultan of Bijapur. Today, it is among the largest churches in Asia, though its beginnings were very humble. The original building was raised of mud and straw and dedicated to St.Catherine, for it was on St. Catherine’s day that Afonso de Alburqurque conquered Goa. Construction of the church in current form began in 1515.  

Se Cathedral initially had two bell towers but the one towards the north collapsed in 1776. The remaining tower houses the golden bell, named so because the gold was rumoured to be mixed in its creation leading to its wonderful sound. Apart from the main altar, the Cathedral has four chapels on either side. The principal chapel is large and ornamented with engraved pillars and pilasters and contains images of Senhora d’Esperanca i.e. Our Lady of Hope, Christ crucified and St. Catherine standing in the centre with statues of St. Peter and St. Paul on either side. Its architectural styel is Portuguese-Manueline. The exterior is Tuscan, whereas the interior is Corinthian. 

To the west of Se Cathedral lies the Church and Convent of St. Francis of Assisi.  It was initially constructed as a chapel and was renovated in 1521 to form the full functioning church dedicated to Holy Spirit.  However, the Convent was closed by the Portuguese administration in 1835 and the church was transformed into a museum by the Archaeological Survey of India in 1964. The church had an enormous wealth of paintings, scriptures and artefacts. The art work of this church is an amalgamation of Mosaic Corinthian and Tuscan styles. 

Housed in the convent portion of the church of St. Francis of Assisi, the Archaeological Survey of India Museum has antiquities displayed in eight galleries. The importance of this museum lies in the display of the portrait paintings of governors and viceroys, wooden sculptures, pillars, capitals, postal stamps likewise many other objects which belong to the Portuguese period in Goa.  The changing pattern of ceremonial clothes worn by the Viceroys, as depicted in the portraits, makes an interesting observation. 

Opposite the Se Cathedral, at some distance away is the large Church and Convent of St. Cajetan. It was built by Italian friars in 1640 and is modelled after the St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican, Rome. The Church is dedicated to Our Lady of Divine Providence and the convent houses a functioning theological college.

Another must see attraction in Velha Goa is the Bom Jesus Basilica Art Gallery that displays 36 oil paintings by Dom Martin. These paintings depicting life of St. Xavier, Biblical thoughts and beliefs, ‘Genesis’, ‘the Last Judgment’ were executed between 1973 and 1976.  On the upper level of the gallery are photographs of churches and other monuments taken by world renowned photographer Benoy Behl. 

Old Goa no longer bustles with crowds and trading people. The eating and stay options are limited. But with a little imagination, you can picture the thriving city that it was during the 17th and 18th century. Keep half a day for visiting Old Goa. You will not be disappointed. 

(The author is a frequent visitor to Goa. He was there recently during the International Film Festival of India, which concluded on November 30, 2014. )