CHRONICLES OF GOAN CHURCHES
The Church dedicated to St Francis of Assisi along with their monastery, is located behind the Sè Cathedral. It was previously the headquarters of the Franciscan Order in the East. Though the feast of the saint was on October 4, the Franciscans in Goa along with their Collaborators celebrated it on October 2 and in their communities on October 4.
THE MONASTERY
In 1517, eight Franciscan friars came to Old Goa from Portugal and the Portuguese Governor Lobo Soares de Albergaria gave them the house and the land belonging to Thanadhar, the chief authority of the land, Joâo Machado, who was killed in Ponda. The foundation stone for the monastery was laid on February 2, 1520 by the Governor Diogo Lopes de Sequeira and it was completed in 1527.
In 1595 to meet the growing demands of the Franciscans, it was pulled down and a bigger building was constructed with a Novitiate and a house for Formators. The monastery began to deteriorate, consequently many of its cells were repaired between 1762 and 1765.
THE CHURCH
The Church is adjoining the monastery and its construction began at the same time as the monastery and completed in 1521. The Augustinian bishop, Dom Frei Aleixo Menezes, consecrated it only 82 years later, on August 2, 1602.
The church began to decay and was pulled down. The new and present church, retaining the doorway of the original church, was constructed in 1661, with contributions from local Catholics and funds provided by the king of Portugal,
On either side of the main entrance are two huge fonts of stone. Its frontispiece has two towers and just below the Cross is a niche with a granite image of St Michael the Archangel. It has a large pulpit. The floor is covered with quaint epitaphs adorned with various coat-of-arms of important Portuguese families of Goa. It has a choir loft with pictures representing Franciscan Saints.
THE ALTARS
The church originally had nine altars. The middle altar is dedicated to St Francis of Assisi. It has a large carved, richly gilded and painted blue octagonal shape tabernacle with small doors. Above the tabernacle and high above the altar is a huge image of the crucified Jesus, who with one hand is embracing an equally large image of St Francis of Assisi.
The two side altars are dedicated to the Crucified Jesus and to St Anthony. Besides these were other altars, three on either side, of which only one remains, which is dedicated to the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mary. The other altars were dedicated to Capela de N. D. Dos Milagres, Capela de Porcuencula, etc.
The church is now a world heritage monument recognised by UNESCO and the ASI has converted the monastery into a museum.
(The writer is Superior at Casa Professa, Basilica of Bom Jesus in Old Goa)
