The village of Cuncolim in South Goa, located around 10 kms from Margao, has been home to some of the most significant developments as far as the history of Goa’s freedom struggle is concerned.
The village and its residents had been battling the onslaught and policies of the Portuguese rulers right since 1583. While not much has been done to visually document the role of this defiant village, there are a couple of places you can visit, out of curiosity, if you are driving by.
First is the martyr’s memorial in the heart of the city dedicated to 16 chieftains from the village, who were slain by the Portuguese after luring them for a meeting. The meeting was called after five Catholic priests, who were attempting to convert local villagers, were killed in the late 1500s.
The second place on the agenda is the haunting chapel dedicated to St. Francis Xavier. From the outside, the chapel doesn’t look anything out of the ordinary. In fact, even when you step in, you would wonder, why you’ve been asked to take a looksee.
But the haunting part comes, when you coax the chapel attendant to move a slab of stone on the floor just below the altar. The stone slab covers a dark smallish well, in which the bodies of Catholic priests were thrown into after they were murdered.
The chapel is ritually opened once a year during a feast day and worshippers are offered water from the well as a holy rite.
