Church of Our Lady of the Rosary (Goa)

The Church of Our Lady of the Rosary is a Catholic church built in 1544–1547, the oldest church still standing in Old Goa, State of Goa, India. This church is part of the collection belonging to the World Heritage Site of churches and convents of Goa.[1][2]

Church of Our Lady of the Rosary
Igreja de Nossa Senhora do Rosário
Church of Our Lady of the Rosary
15.4229°N 73.7713°E / 15.4229; 73.7713
LocationOld Goa, State of Goa
Country India
DenominationCatholic Church
History
Founder(s)Afonso de Albuquerque
Architecture
Architectural typea fortress church which is cruciform on plan
StyleManueline and Gothic styles
Years built1544-1547
TypeCultural
Designated1986
Part ofChurches and Convents of Goa

History

According to the legend, a small chapel was built in honor Our Lady of the Rosary as per orders of Afonso de Albuquerque, after he had received the message that Goa was conquered in 1510 by the Portuguese. This small chapel is said to have been designed, according to Gaspar Correia, by master-builder Antão, Nogueira de Brito on the Monte Santo (Holy mountain) in Goa.[2]

Well 30 years later, many people were already living in Monte Santo and the Portuguese rulers recognized that settlement needs to establish a separate parish with its own Church. However, for the construction of the Church itself, here is a little information, it will be 1543 initiated – together with the Church of Our Lady of the Candles (Portuguese: Igreja de Nossa Senhora da Luz) and the Chapel of Santa Catarina (Portuguese: Capela de Santa Cantarina). Thus, Goa was the capital of the Portuguese colony, the three parishes with three churches.[2]

The church of Our Lady of the Rosary built in 1544–1547 in fulfilment of a vow taken by Afonso de Albuquerque, that to the knowledge of the conquest of the city of Goa. It would have promised to build a chapel in honor Our Lady of the Rosary in the place where it was and is, at the top north-west of Monte Santo, near the road between Old Goa and Panaji.[1] A letter from the municipality to the Portuguese king João III dated 1548, another letter in turn dated 1549 should prove that the Church resulted from the enlargement of the original chapel, that the Church was "new built".[2]

The information about this construction is not clear, but according to a document dated1774, the officers of the kingdom were in the church. In a letter of 1548, to the king João III of Portugal, the members of the Confraternity of Our Lady of the Rosary seem to indicate that the current church resulted from the enlargement of the chapel the original.[1]

In 1843 Panaji (New Goa) officially became the administrative headquarters of Portuguese India, replacing the city of Goa (which gradually came to be known as Old Goa or Goa Velha) and then renamed to New Goa. Due to church's location, it is located relatively far outside of the original city centre of Old Goa – this church has not been changed in the church status since their building is de facto. In the course of the transfer of the capital from Old Goa to High building New Goa (today is Panaji), the Church importance was lost.[3]

The church was renovated in 1897–1899.[3]

Architecture
The church of lady of Rosary in Old Goa.

Exterior

The church of Our Lady of the Rosary is considered to be the oldest preserved buildings in Old Goa. Also, she is the only building that still has a (mainly) medieval construction and architectural elements. The Church is a testimony to the earlier Christianization of Goa and is probably the only reason why, because it was located far outside the actual city (and it is), so you escaped the modernization of the Portuguese. Other buildings from the same time are part of has been massively overbuilt and reshaped.[2]

The facade of the Church has three floors and two stored portico flanked by round towers with cupolas, crowned with crosses. The windows in the high, near the roof, are giving the impression of a fortress church, which is cruciform on plan. In addition, light manual Indian design are visible elements on the facade, large cords are located at the cornice as well as the individual towers. The southern tower has a turning staircase to get to the Rood screen.[2][4]

Entrance, view from the Main Altar.
Main altar of the Church of Lady of Rosary.

Highlights-tower-facade of three floors, with its cylindrical buttresses on the front corners and towers also cylindrical in the angles with the ship. The south tower contains a winding staircase access to the upper choir, on the second floor of the tower‑facade and the north tower contains in its ground floor the chapel baptismal font. On the last floor of the tower-facade, marked on the corners by light graceful columns, open windows back whole and both sides, where they are suspended bells.[1]

Gothic style and Manueline style are present in the exterior and interior.

Interior
Altar of the Church of Lady of Rosary.
Epitaph commemorating Dona Catarina, wife Garcia de Sá, one of governors of Portuguese India (XVI c.)

The Church has two chapels and consists of only one nave with a main altar and two side altars, total three altars. The main altar is dedicated to Our Lady of Rosary through the influence of Gothic style are seen in the rib vault of the portico Manueline style. The nave now has a partly open roof, after the parts to be collapsed in 1897. The side chapels and the altar are arranged by leaf vein vaulted in the shape of a star.[2][4]

While the vault of the apse corresponds to the Gothic style, designed the main room of the Church largely Manueline style. In the apse, the tombstone with the inscription: Aqui jaz Dona Catarina, mulher de Garcia de Sá, a qual pede a quem isto ler que peça misericórida a Deus para sua alma (Here lies Dona Catarina, wife of Garcia de Sá, which asks for whom it read that ask mercy to God for her soul).[5]

Below the apse: Garcia de Sá (died in June 1549), in turn, bury, colonial Governor of Portuguese India.[5][6]

The church as World Heritage Sites in India

In 1986 the UNESCO declared the Church as part of the ensemble "monasteries and churches of Goa", a world heritage site. In the Portuguese monument database of the "Sistema de Informação para o Património Arquitectónico", which also includes monuments of the former Portuguese colonies, entered this Church with the number 11444.[3] In the database of the Archaeological Survey of India it is registered with the number N-GA-6.

References
  1. António Nunes Pereira. "Igreja de Nossa Senhora do Rosário". Património de Influência Portuguesa.
  2. "Igreja de Nossa Senhora do Rosário". Património de Influência Portuguesa (HPIP) (in Portuguese). Fundação Calouste Gulbenkian. 26 July 2012. Retrieved 25 November 2017.
  3. "Igreja de Nossa Senhora do Rosário / Igreja do Priorado Velho". Sistema de Informação para o Património Arquitectónico (in Portuguese). 2002. Retrieved 25 November 2017.
  4. "A "Reconquista" assistida dos altos; Leitura da linguagem da arquitetura e da arte do Rosário em Goa". Revista Brasil-Europa.
  5. Manoel José Gabriel Saldanha. História de Goa: (política e arqueológica). Asian Educational Services, 1990. ISBN 812060590X
  6. "Garcia de Sá - Portugal, Dicionário Histórico". arqnet.pt. Retrieved 29 November 2017.
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