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Old Goa - Today
CAPELA DE STA. CATARINA
(THE CHAPEL OF ST. CATHERINE)
In front of the Church of St. Francis of Assis, there
runs a steep narrow road which leads to the chapel of
Sta. Catarina. The same road would lead to the Hospital
Real (Royal). The city of Adil Shah had four gates:
the Ribeira gate where this chapel stands; the Fortaleza
gate where the arch of Vice-Roys was built; the Mandovi
gate near S. Caetano's convent and the Bacais gate near
the cemetery. Albuquerque entered through the Ribeira
gate when he conquered Goa and the Muslims fled through
the Mandovi and Bacais gates.
In commemoration of this fact, Albuquerque ordered that
a Chapel dedicated to Sta. Catarina should be built
in the same year (Goa was reconquered on November 25,
feast day of Sta. Catarina. Afonso de Albuquerque had
chosen Sta. Catarina de Alexandria as the Patroness
of the City. Initially, it was a mud structure covered
with palm leaves. Before he left for Malacca he ordered
that it should be enlarged.
At the request of Albuquerque, King D. João Ill
ordered that on December 25, the entire Senate with
the Cathedral Chapter and other religious groups should
go in procession to this chapel for thanksgiving. But
this custom had been introduced much earlier by Albuquerque.
Now, it was given great solemnity. The Senate appointed
a Chaplain. Subsequently the religious zeal had dimmed
and in the 17th century the chapel was closed and it
was opened every year only on November 25. But later,
the Senate realized its responsibility and once again
it was opened. In 1804,it was entrusted to Franciscans
and later to secular priests. On November25, 1840, the
responsibility of the Chapel was assigned to the Cathedral
Chapter. It was rebuilt in 1550, by the Governor Jorge
Cabral in an anti-Manueline style. Over the door of
the Chapel there was a stone slab which was Later fixed
in the wall, near the side door, with the following
inscription: AQVI NESTE LVGAR ESTAVA A PORTAJPORQVE
ENTROV 0 GOVERNADOR/AFFONSO DALBOQVERQVE E TOMOV I ESTA
CIDADE AOS MOVROS EM / DIA DE SANTA CATARINA I ANNO
1510 EM CVJO LOVVOR / EMEMORIA 0 GOVERNADOR / JORGE
CABRAL MANDOV FAZER / ESTA CASA ANNO DE 1550 A CVSTA
DE S.A. (Here was the door by which the Governor Afonso
de Albuquerque entered and took this city from the Mohammedans
on the day of Sta. Catarina in the year 1510, in whose
honour and memory the Governor George Cabral, ordered
this Chapel to be built in the year 1550, at the expense
of His Highness).
In 1931, on the occasion of the Exposition of the Relics
of St. Francis Xavier, the Archaeological Commission
placed another slab with the following inscription:
PORTA DA MURALHA DA CIDADE MAOMETANA (Gate of the Muslim
city's wall).
There is still another slab representing St. Martin
mounted on a horse back and offering a piece of his
garment to a beggar, with the following inscription:
POR ESTA PORTA / ENTROV DOM JOAO / DE CASTRO DEFENSOR
I DA INDIA QVANDO TRIVMPHOU DA CA / MBAYA E TODO ESTE
MVRO LHE FOI DER I RVBADO ERA DE 1547. (By this door
entered Dom João de Castro, Defender of India
when he conquered Cambay, and this whole wall was demolished
for him.) This slab was formerly in the Chapel of St.
Martin; it had been placed there when D. João
de Castro returned victorious from Diu in 1547.
The frontispiece in renaissance style has an image of
Our Lady and a monstrance. Formerly, this Chapel was
the centre of attraction on the occasion of Sta. Catarina's
feast on 25th November. On this day, a big procession
could be seen coming from this Chapel and going' to
the St Catedral where holy Mass was celebrated. The
Central Government of Portugal appointed Architect Baltasar
de Castro for the restoration of the Convents &
Monuments of Old Goa. This was in preparation for the
Exposition of 1952. He arrived in 1951 and began with
the Chapel of Sta. Catarina. The vault was dismantled
and rebuilt with the same stones. The sacristy was rebuilt.
Four stone crosses were placed on the roof. The one
that is above the main altar is in gothic style
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