Team Herald
PANJIM: The foundation stone for the construction of a new chapel dedicated to St Anthony and also known as “Kasnichem Kopel” along Porvorim Highway, which was demolished for the six-lane elevated corridor was laid on Tuesday.
The age-old chapel was abruptly demolished by the PWD and the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) in June this year for carrying out the construction of elevated corridor work or flyover work at Porvorim.
The faithfuls and parishioners were wondering as to when and where this chapel would be relocated and had approached the concerned PWD (roads division) and the NHAI engineers several times with request to relocate it at a suitable place soon.
It was on October 8, 2024 that a suitable place very close to the earlier site was allotted to relocate the same and the foundation stone was laid by the Parish Chaplain, Fr Francis Xavier Fernandes in the presence of several parishioners and faithfuls, who were atlast happy that their long pending request had been fulfilled.
According to the parishioner, the cherished 460-yr-old chapel site has historical significance for them as it was a place of community prayers for the first Christian converts, even before the churches of Socorro, Salvador do Mundo or Penha de Franca were built in the Comunidade of Serula village. They added that Franciscan priests travelled from the Reis Magos rectory to Porvorim and preached the gospel to the new converts who were baptised at this very site.