Basilica
of Bom Jesus
This
is the only church in Old Goa, which is not plastered on the outside, the lime
plaster having been stripped off by a zealous Portuguese conservationist in
1950.
Located at Old Goa, 10 kilometres east of Panaji, the Bom Jesus Basilica is
a World Heritage Monument.
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 and Primate of India consecrated it when it was completed on 15 May 1605.
In 1946 it was raised to the status of a minor Basilica.
The Order of Jesuits was suppressed in 1759 and its property confiscated by
the Portuguese State. The church was, however allowed to continue services.
This magnificent edifice stands as a superb example of Baroque architecture
in Goa. The church is called "Bom Jesus" meaning 'good Jesus' or 'infant
Jesus' to whom it is dedicated. The façade has on it, at the top, the
letters, "HIS" which are the first three letters of Jesus in Greek.
The imposing facade built out of black granite in an exquisite combination of
the Doric, Corinthian and composite styles, is remarkable for its simplicity.
It measures 183 ft in length,55 ft in breath, and 61 ft in height. The main
altar is 54 ft high and 30 ft broad. The pillars and detail are carved from
basalt which was brought from Bassein, some 300 kms away. The interior of the
church is built in Mosaico-Corinthian style and is remarkable for its charming
simplicity.
The roof was originally tiled. The church is cruciform on plan. The flying buttresses
on the northern side of the church are recent additions. A single-storeyed structure
adjoining the church on its southern wing connects it with the Professed House.
The three-storeyed facade of the Church shows Ionic, Doric and Corinthian Orders,
and has a main entrance flanked by two smaller ones, each having Corinthian
columns supporting a pediment. There are two chapels, a main altar and a sacristy
besides a choir inside the Church itself. There is a belfry is at the back.
As one enters, beneath the choir, to the right is an altar of St. Anthony and
to the left is an exceedingly well-carved wooden statue of St. Francis Xavier.
In the middle of the nave on the northern wall is the cenotaph of the benefactor
of this church, Dom Jeronimo Mascarenhas, the Captain of Cochin, who died in
1593, bequeathing the resources out of which this church was built. The two
columns supporting the choir bear slabs inscribed in Portuguese and Latin the
dates of beginning of construction and the consecration.
