Brief Description
The churches and convents of Goa, the former capital of the
Portuguese Indies – particularly the Church of Bom Jesus, which contains
the tomb of St Francis-Xavier – illustrate the evangelization of Asia.
These monuments were influential in spreading forms of Manueline,
Mannerist and Baroque art in all the countries of Asia where missions
were established.
Long Description
These monuments of Goa exerted great influence in the 16th-18th
centuries on the development of architecture, sculpture, and painting by
spreading forms of Manueline, Mannerist and Baroque art throughout the
countries of Asia where Catholic missions were established. In so doing
they illustrate the work of missionaries in Asia.
The Portuguese explorer Alfonso de Albuquerque conquered Goa in 1510
and the Portuguese ruled the territory until 1961. The colony of Goa,
which has its centre in Old Goa, became the capital of the vast eastern
Portuguese Empire, sharing the same civic privileges as Lisbon. By 1635,
the successive waves of Europeans brought about the inevitable decline
of Goa.
In 1542 the Jesuits, who were driven by the ardour of medieval
crusaders, arrived in the city and Francis Xavier, one of the founders
of the Society of Jesus, rapidly became the patron saint of Goa. The
churches in Old 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 were
magnificent, with twisted Bernini columns, decorated pediments,
profusely carved and gilded altars, and colourful wall paintings and
frescoes.
Local laterite was used in the construction of the churches, which
had to be plastered and finished with a lime whitewash, while the
trimmings were sometimes of basalt. The colour white was so identified
with churches that the local administration ruled that no house could be
painted that colour.
Of the 60 churches inventoried in the 18th century before the city
was abandoned, seven major examples survive. The Sé Cathedral with its
Tuscan exterior, Corinthian columns, raised platform with steps leading
to the entrance, and barrel-vault is another example of Renaissance
architecture. The paintings in the church were executed on wooden boards
and fixed between panels with floral designs. Except for a few statues
which are in stone, most of the other statues of the saints, the Virgin
Mary, and Jesus were first carved in wood and then painted to adorn the
altars.
The Chapel of St Catherine dating from 1510, the Church and Convent
of Saint Francis of Assisi (which now houses the Archaeological Museum),
and the Church of Bom Jesus where the mortal remains of St Francis
Xavier rest, are some of the best in terms of design and style. Also of
importance are St Gagtan and its seminary, Our Lady of the Rosary (one
of the earliest churches to be built), and the Tower of St Augustine,
all that remains of a convent built in 1572. The Church of St Cajetan
has a facade decorated with lonic, Doric, and Corinthian pilasters.
Other monuments are partially or completely in ruins, but they
nonetheless constitute an archaeological reserve of considerable
interest.
07:07
Unknown
PRICE:6500 TO 7000 
PRICE:6900/-
Posted in: 
