Old Goa

Baga Beach, Goa India - 16 Nov 2010

Old Goa is a trip! Once a larger city than the London or Lisbon of the time (the 1500's), those of it's 300,000 odd inhabitants who didn't succumb to the inquisition of Francis Xavier or syphilis, contracted by the decadent colonial upperclass, were more than cut in half by malaria before they packed it in and moved downriver to the now capital of Panjim. Almost the entire City, excepting the Cathedrals, which are now World Heritage sites, was demolished to make building materials for Panjim prompting chronicler Abbe´ Cottineau de Kloguen to remark in 1827 "Nothing remains of the City but the sacred. The profane is entirely banished."

Mostly built at the end of The Renaissance and the beginning of The Baroque the various Cathedrals and Churches are quite astonishing in their ornate splendour.

Goa's monsoon climate has the effect of blackening everything with mould and the buildings were once kept white with a yearly application of lime made of crushed clamshells. Now their are teams of people kept busy painting them every year.

Tourists as well as Christian Pilgrims come in busloads every day the latter to visit particularly the Tomb of Saint Francis Xavier, the renowned missionary, somewhat famous for bringing the Inquisition to Goa resulting the in the arrest and torture of more than 16,000 people  by 1774. Strange that in these times some with a track record like that is still considered "Holy". Perhaps he did lots of good stuff too.

Me, I came by Motorbike, duly walked around the Churches, although the volume of tourists, pilgrims, beggars, touts, guides and vendors around the Basillica eventually got the better of me. The Church of St Cajetan for some reason was practically deserted so I spent most of my time there. It's quite astonishing that the original Baroque Oil paintings depicting the life and various trials of the Saint are left hanging in their original places on the walls with no protection or barrier. You can just walk right up and touch them if you like, as you can walk right on to the ornate alters. Things like that would be behind glass and roped off practically anywhere else I can think of. I have to confess I found them quite hideous but I've never much enjoyed Baroque anything. Impressive though is the detail in the paintings, carvings and statues and just the overall effect of splendour.

I didn't have a great photo day but the pics I did get are ok.

Pictures Here