The Church of the Holy Cross of Miracles, popularly known as Cruz dos Milagres, stands on Monte de Boa Vista on the eastern side of Old Goa. The annual feast is celebrated on February 23.
THE ORIGIN
The origin of the Miraculous Cross is connected with occurrences said to have taken place in 1619. One tradition narrates that shepherd boys (gorvam bhurge), while grazing cattle on the hill, fashioned a simple cross from coconut palm fronds measuring about three and a half yards and planted it there. Another account records that on February 23, 1619, Fr Manuel Rodrigues, parish priest of the Sé Cathedral of Old Goa, erected a teakwood cross on the rocky site.
That evening, unusual phenomena were reportedly witnessed by residents of the city. Red flags were seen in the air near the cross, and bright rays of light appeared to descend from the sky. A luminous human figure, resembling the Crucified Christ, was said to have appeared nailed to the cross, bearing wounds and crowned with thorns, surrounded by radiant light.
When people hastened to the hill, the figure had vanished. The cross, however, was found to have grown from three and a half to nearly five yards in height. News of the event spread rapidly, and many brought their sick to the site to be cured.
Archbishop of Goa, Dom Cristóvão de Sá e Lisboa, ordered the cross to be carried in solemn procession to the nearby Church of Our Lady of Light (Nossa Senhora de Luz), now no longer existing. He appointed a commission of canons and learned men to investigate the reported events. Their findings affirmed the authenticity of the phenomena and declared that the Crucified Christ had appeared on the cross. A solemn celebration followed at the Cathedral. On March 5, 1619, water was said to have sprung from the spot where the cross had originally stood.
THE CHURCH
To commemorate the event, a small church was erected on the hill bearing the inscription: Neste Logar estava a Santa Cruz quando nella appareceu Jesus — “Here was the place where the Holy Cross stood and on it Jesus appeared.”
The first structure, built with poor materials, collapsed on August 8, 1659. The Cross was once again transferred to the Church of Our Lady of Light. A stronger church was begun in 1669 under the Augustinian superior, Frei Agostinho dos Reis, and completed in 1671. On February 23, 1671, the Miraculous Cross was solemnly reinstalled. As devotees began removing splinters as relics, the original cross was later encased within another cross for protection.
THE ORATORIANS
The church became closely associated with the Congregation of the Oratory of St Philip Neri. In 1655, Joseph Vaz, a native Goan priest later canonised, built a small residence near the church and founded the Oratory in Goa. On March 14, 1684, the church was officially entrusted to the Oratorians.
In 1835, when the Portuguese government suppressed religious orders in Goa, the Oratorians were compelled to leave. In 1845, by order of Governor José Ferreira Pestanha, the Miraculous Cross was transferred in solemn procession to the Sé Cathedral of Old Goa, where it remains today. The convent, having fallen into disrepair, was demolished in 1846.
THE DEVOTION
Devotion to the Cross of Miracles was revived during the 8th Exposition of the relics of St. Francis Xavier in 1931, when the feast was celebrated in the Cathedral on November 29. In 1961, on the occasion of the 250th death anniversary of Venerable Fr Joseph Vaz, monthly Masses began to be celebrated on the 23rd at the church on the Boa Vista hill, gradually restoring pilgrimage traditions. Later, the annual feast came to be firmly observed on 23 February.
The Vicar of Ribandar rebuilt the dilapidated structure and renewed devotion. Fr Pedro Philomeno Soares restored the roof of the church and the adjacent residence.
During restoration, the inscription Convento da Cruz dos Milagres was rediscovered beneath layers of whitewash on the façade, confirming the former presence of the convent. Pilgrimages from neighbouring parishes were organised, and after the monthly Mass on the 23rd, pilgrims were served kanji (rice gruel), fostering a spirit of fellowship.
THE RESTORATION
The Archdiocese decided to renovate the church, the convent and the other structures present there in 2011. A new structure was constructed attached to the church, which is now used as the Spiritual Renewal Centre of the diocese and dedicated to St Joseph Vaz. was inaugurated on November 17, 2014.
