Photo: The facade of the ruins of the Church of Our Lady of Mount Carmel at Chimbel-Goa.
By J M John Marshal –
Goa’s Chief Minister Pramod Sawant recently felt the need to rebuild all temples destroyed by the Portuguese in Goa. It is a historically attested fact that many temples were destroyed by the Portuguese during the colonial rule. But the question is, did the Portuguese destroy only Hindu temples?
Several examples have proven that the Portuguese colonialists took a Machiavellian approach to the religion. They found religion a source of power. Therefore, they patronised Catholicism if they found it favouring their colonial pursuits and suppressed it whenever they found it in odds with their political ambitions.
The Miguelite War (Guerra Miguelista) was a war between liberal constitutionalists and conservative absolutists in Portugal over royal succession that lasted from 1828 to 1834. At the end, the liberalists won and they suppressed all religious orders in Portugal and its colonial territories in 1835.
São Bento Palace (Palácio de São Bento or Saint Benedict’s Palace) in Lisbon is the seat of the Assembly of the Portuguese Republic, the parliament of Portugal. Originally it was constructed in 1598 as a monastery of the Catholic Benedictine monks. In 1834, when the Miguelite War ended, the monks were driven out and the monastery was confiscated and made the seat of the Portugal’s parliament. Do we have instances in Indian history where a Hindu ruler confiscated a temple and made it his palace? We have never heard of this kind of sacrilege in Indian history, but it is a sad reality in the history of Portugal.
What were the losses incurred to Goa because of this religious suppression? All monasteries and convents of Old Goa were confiscated. Valuable objects in religious houses were valued and auctioned. Monks were driven out of their convents. The suppression of religious orders in 1835 by the Portuguese colonial government was a final blow to the life of the City of Goa, as Nicolau da Fonseca writes. Subsequently, Old Goa was completely abandoned and it became a city of ruins.
Many temples destroyed by the Portuguese were relocated to other places and they survived. For example, the original Mangueshi temple was located in Cortalim and it was shifted to present site in Ponda taluka after the Portuguese persecutions in 1560.
But were Churches of the Augustinians, Dominicans, Carmelites, etc. which were confiscated and ruined by the Portuguese ever replaced? Did the native Goan Catholic religious congregations ruined by the Portuguese ever came back to life? No.
St Joseph Vaz is patron saint of the Archdiocese of Goa and Daman. He belonged to the Congregation of the Oratorians of Cruz dos Milagros. It was the first native Goan Catholic religious congregation. But this congregation founded by this son of Goa does not exist today. Who ruined it? It was in 1835 when the Portuguese suppressed all religious orders, that this native order of Goa also went extinct. What a loss to Goan Catholic identity and heritage.
The same story goes with the Chimbel Carmelites, founded by a group of Goan Catholic priests in Chimbel between 1747 and 1750. It was also the first ever native Carmelite congregation in Asia and thus, the pride of Goan soil. With the suppression of religious orders, this congregation also went extinct. What a loss to Goan Catholic heritage by the Portuguese.
In 1940, the Portuguese government made a treaty with the Vatican, named the ‘Concordat’, which guaranteed that all religious houses confiscated by the Portuguese would be returned to the Church. Goa was liberated on 1961 and Article 5 of the Goa Diu Daman (administration) Act of 1962 ensured that all previous laws would be in force. The Concordat was also recognised by the local court of Goa and it gave judgments citing the same. Therefore, the restoration of confiscated churches is not just an idea but also a concrete legal reality and duty. However, the loss incurred to Goan Catholic heritage still remains great and many unjustly confiscated religious structures are still not returned to its original owners.
One recent case pertains to the ruins of the Church and Convent of the Carmelites in Chimbel. The Carmelites along with the local villagers and heritage enthusiasts have made countless efforts to claim their site which was once unjustly confiscated by the Portuguese. Despite several promises from the local MLA of the present ruling party and pleas to the chief minister, this demand remains unfulfilled.
A narrow reading of colonialism can never shed true light on history. Like the Hindus, the Catholics of Goa also bear scars of the colonial past. Will Chief Minister Pramod Sawant who has taken a keen interest in restoring the lost Hindu heritage of Goa also show interest in restoring what was lost for the Catholics?
The prospect of restoration of the lost heritage must be a community effort and not a communal effort fuelled by some religious propaganda and narrow reading of history. Can we dream a reality, where destroyed temples, confiscated churches, ruined mosques, etc. by Portuguese colonialists be restored by the Hindus, Catholics and Muslims of Goa as a unified effort, taking in account the communal harmony and sensitivity?
(The writer is a Goa-based researcher on the Carmelite religious congregation).
This is one of the most balanced and non polemical posts I read in recent times. I just need to add that as a follower of the Sanatana Dharma, I have understood one thing. We are all United in hate against each other, what Christians term, systemic evil. As long as Tamas qua evil exists all interreligious sincere voices advocating peace will be sabotaged. And, I congratulate both the author and the editor for publishing this very honest and balanced essay. The world as yet has not been taken over by nutcases from all religions. As a nation we have hope still. This blog post is proof of that.