04 May 2020  |   04:07am IST

The Basilica: The faith of Goans and the good fate of Goans needs protection

Old Goa’s Basilica de Bom Jesus, a four centuries’ old shrine that protects the ‘protector of Goa’, is in dire need of protection. While the issue was highlighted in the Herald Editors Sunday column Goa Allegretto, leading to a flurry of interest and a visit by the Chief Minister himself, Cafe looks beyond the structure and taps into the soul of the probably the most venerated institution in the hearts of those who love Goa

Nadia Menezes;

The UNESCO World Heritage Site structure is famed for its famous ‘occupant’—the 16^th Century Catholic missionary priest St. Francis Xavier, whose mortal remains are housed atop an altar in a casket of glass encased in silver. While his death anniversary on December 3^rd, venerated as his feast day, draws scores of believers of all faiths from across the world, many locals believe that it’s his presence that protects this coastal state from the vagaries of nature.

This is why the Basilica’s present predicament, brought to light almost a fortnight ago by its rector, has upset an already Covid-19-troubled populace.

Faith, no matter the faith

“The Basilica is one of my most favourite churches. It is Goa’s identity. The exposed laterite look is unparalleled,” says history professor and heritage activist, Prajal Sakhardande. 

For Heta Pandit, chairperson of the Goa Heritage Action Group (GHAG), the Basilica is “landmark and iconic”. Elaborating that “we are a syncretic society (we borrow and lend from one another’s beliefs and practices)”, she says what is most interesting is that all Goans across faiths believe in the power of the saint. “Hindus and Christians call the saint Amcho

 or Goencho Saib 

or the ‘Lord of Goa’ and the belief that if the saint’s remains are  taken out of Goa, Goa would collapse adds yet another dimension to the history of the Basilica.” 

Self-styled conservationist of Indo-Portuguese heritage, Homen Cristo Prazeres de Costa, fondly remembers his journey as a 10-year-old in 1952 in a “full-packed camiāo

”

to the Exposition (a decadal event when the saint’s mortal remains are put on public display) as he enjoyed his first chouriço-pão

 (bread stuffed with local sausage) after the mass. “For Catholic Goans the Basilica is the

 shrine where the Goencho Saib

 and ‘Goan Protector’ rests and is venerated.” 

“The Basilica is more than just a sacred space for a particular faith, it is a world heritage structure that is identified by Goans across faiths and across the world as part of Goa’s heritage,” says Fr. Victor Ferrao, a professor at the Rachol Seminary. 

Litany of concerns 

Highlighting the “chief concern” that the structure “may be de-notified from the Unesco world heritage list if its neglect continues”, Sakhardande lays the onus of responsibility on the ASI, saying, 

“I am greatly disturbed about the news of ASI’s neglect. I

n the past I have been witness to beautiful conservation carried out by ASI of the said monument; why this apathy now?”

ASI’s checks and balances 

Refuting the allegations of deliberate neglect,

N. Taher, a retired director of World Heritage at the ASI, who served in Goa from 2003 to 2006 and 2014 to 2016 as site manager (UNESCO)/superintending archaeologist, says the structure is protected by various Acts, Rules and Conservation Policies, including Acts of Parliament, as well as by Unesco’s Operational Guidelines for World Heritage Properties. 

Towards the latter an exhaustive Periodic Report once in six years is prepared on the overall status of the property. 

He further states that no funds have ever been sought or sanctioned by UNESCO for maintenance of world heritage properties in India. This includes the Basilica which has been funded over the years for its protection and upkeep by the government of India through funds channelled through ASI, he explains. 

Stressing that there is no doubt that the Basilica is aging and needs major repairs and appropriate conservation, Taher says the ‘Outstanding Value’ attributed to the monument by the Unesco tag requires for its surroundings to be protected as well from pollution, traffic (including footfalls within the monument) and surrounding infrastructural development. 

Shanwalkar wants all stakeholders—people, activists, the church, government, etc—to serve as pressure points to ensure the present damage to the Basilica is rectified at the earliest. “Maybe the ASI does not have competent conservation professionals or the necessary funds. We have in this an opportunity to identify how to do this work better the next time and to also highlight the plight of other monuments in the state.” 

Pandit suggests, “

I think it is up to us to tap our own resources, our own traditional craftsmen to repair, restore and revive our own monuments.”  

Cristo Prazeres De Costa says the Church maintained the Basilica before the ASI took over. “If it is found that the amount of allocated funds to maintain a World Heritage monument such as the Basilica is not enough and/or if there is a lack of diligent, competent and efficient technical knowhow in the ASI, then the Archdiocese of Goa should quickly order a company to finish the pest control work and cover the roof properly before the monsoon.” 

Ferrao explains that since the ASI is already involved, it would be difficult at this juncture for the Church to take over. “But the people of Goa can support the Church to put pressure on the ASI to ensure that the Basilica is protected immediately before the monsoon (normally expected in June) begins,” he says in conclusion.