The spread of Christianity in Goa : 1510 to 1961

Previous blogs~ How goans lived before the Portuguese arrived

Goa Portuguêsa: Life during Portuguese rule in GOA

By and large there is a significant number (about 25% of Goa's population) of native goan converts to Christianity, so let's go down memory lane to understand Goa's Portuguese history of Christianization.

A Portuguese era cross in Quepem, South Goa is a reminder of how Christianity (Roman Catholicism) spread in Goa

The story and signs of a bygone Portuguese era~ the enigma of Afonso de Albuquerque

The Portuguese were Christians, Roman Catholics to be precise. It was spiritual warfare and they understood this well from the days of the Crusades in Europe. And so, their greatest enemy in GOA was the Muslim rulers ~ that was during the initial days. The Adil Shahis were strong contenders of the region and the Hindu Vijayanagara kings too had a tough time keeping them at bay.  

 

The Adilshahis were Shias who eventually converted to the Sunni sect of Islam. Jizya was imposed on the locals and Hindu rulers. Islamic mindset and persecution prevailed. One can only imagine that if it hadn't been for the Portuguese, Goa would certainly be a Muslim state.

Read, How the Portuguese fought and defeated the Adil Shahis and The Portuguese plan of action~ part 1

The Portuguese plan of action after the conquest part 2 gaining trust

Goa was indeed special to the Portuguese unlike other territories they held in India. And, as a way of making inroads in their new colony, the Portuguese began by first gaining the trust of native goans. 

Gaining the trust of native goans

He enlisted local goans with important portfolios. It was a unique strategy for gaining trust. Take the case of Antonio, ie. A.F.S. Braganza Pereira who represented the Portuguese government as Vice-Consul of Spain, and there are many such examples.

In addition, during the time of Afonso de Albuquerque, general populace were free to practice their own religion and customs without any interference~ exceptions were in place eg. Sati (an age-old horrific religious custom) was prohibited. 

The Jizya system which was imposed by the Adil Shahis was done away with.

Local populace replace Portuguese workers 

Whether it was sailors, soldiers or craftsmen, the Portuguese found it more profitable to engage the local populace for these jobs than to get workers all the way from Portugal.

Encouraging Portuguese men to marry local goan women

We can't forget Albuquerque's idea of encouraging Portuguese men to marry local goan women. This the Portuguese felt would help in gaining emotional trust. Thereby local goans would safeguard their interests here in Goa and be their strongest allies.

There was an abundance of land that was confiscated from the local muslims loyal to the Adil Shahis. This was then given to Portuguese men in return for settling down in Goa. Plus the state also paid for their dowry. This generosity by the new rulers went even further, goan women now had share in the property~ The Portuguese civil code for property rights continues to this day.

The Indo-Portuguese descendants of casados (ie. Portuguese men married to local women), would be their pillar of strength and support without having to depend on Portuguese soldiers and workers from back home in Europe. This policy undoubtedly worked well; the Roman Catholic population and descendants certainly had a soft corner for the Portuguese as compared to The Government of India even after Goa was liberated in 1961.

Albuquerque's policy may not have gone down with the ranks of elite Portuguese officials and clergy; but it won hands down with the Portuguese soldiers and local native population.

 

One can well understand, that it was these native goan women married to Portuguese men, who were the first converts to Christianity in Goa 

Senhora~ the earliest converts to Christianity in Goa were local goan women who married Portuguese men

Death of Afonso de  Albuquerque and end  of a glorious era 

A sketch depicting the death of Afonso de Albuquerque

Afonso de Albuquerque had many enemies back home in Portugal; people who were bitterly jealous of his many successes and accomplishments. They brewed trouble by poisoning King Manuel's mind against him.

While on his return from another expedition to Hormuz in the Persian gulf, he got news that he would be replaced by one of his enemies by the name of Lopo Soares de Albergaria. Albuquerque was heart-broken at having lost the trust of King Manuel and at the bitterness of his enemies. His grief brought about his death on 16 Dec 1515 as he was about to touch the shores of Goa.

Which is the first church built by the Portuguese in Goa?

When the Portuguese arrived in Goa in 1510 and overcame the Adil Shahi presence in Old Goa, they took over a landscape dotted with temples and Mosques. Eventually, they built churches.

Churches of Goa

Most churches were in fact built by the Portuguese to commemorate an important event, such as~

St. Catherine's chapel in Old Goa

This chapel* was built on the exact spot from where Afonso de Albuquerque entered Goa. The day was 25 Nov 1510, the feast of St. Catherine of Alexandria and so a chapel was made in her honour to commemorate the event, and it still stands to this day.

Chapel of St.Catherine of Alexandria at Old Goa. This chapel is located at the spot where Afonso de Albuquerque entered Goa on 25 Nov 1510

*A chapel is a smaller house of Christian worship where people can pray and contemplate. A church on the other hand is a large house of worship where formal liturgical masses are held.

Further, as a way of making inroads in their new colony, impressing on the minds of native goans the glory of their new faith and getting for themselves a sense of permanence, they started building impressive churches and religious buildings in Goa, many of which stand to this day.

Understanding Roman Catholicism in Goa 

Roman Catholicism is a distinct sect of Christianity. It is different in its interpretation of Christ's teaching and other basic tenements as compared to Protestants and other sects. The head of the Roman Catholic Churches is The Pope at the Vatican. It was considered mainstream Christianity before Protestants emerged and broke through from it  Later many other diverse sects came on the scene.

During the time of European explorations, Pope Nicholas V (b 1397) was heading the Vatican in Rome from 1447 till his death in 1455. It was during his papacy that a public decree (an order) called Romanus Pontifex was issued. The Vatican was a powerful political entity in Europe then, and this decree gave Portugal the authority to colonise and spread the Christian faith to Asia and Africa. The decree also prohibited other European Christian nations from infringing the King of Portugal's right to trade in these colonies. 

Romanus Pontifex was undoubtedly a politico-religious dictum, whereby the papacy by virtue of the power they exercised then, granted trade monopoly to Portugal in return for religious conversion activities.

Roman Catholic religious orders

Roman Catholic religious orders are an offshoot of the Roman Catholic ecosystem. There are many such orders like Jesuits, Franciscans, Carmelites etc. The community of priests and nuns of each order have their own vows (basically commitments they need to meet) plus specific obligations.

The Jesuits arrive in Goa 

So keeping the terms of Romanus Pontifex, the Jesuits or Society of Jesus was the first religious order that arrived in Goa for this purpose. The day was 6th May 1542, when Francis Xavier~ the first Jesuit missionary set foot in Goa. King John III was then the king of Portugal and he was extremely keen on promoting Christianity. By 1549 many more Jesuit priests had arrived in Goa.

A Mario Miranda sketch depicting the arrival of the Jesuits in Goa. The primary responsibility of the Jesuits was converting the locals to Christianity

Francis Xavier begins his ministry

St. Francis Xavier (as he is now known), along with St  Ignatius of Loyola had founded the Jesuit order with the main purpose of converting locals to Christianity.

St. Francis Xavier was a co-founder of the Jesuit religious order, along with St. Ignatius of Loyola. He is revered amongst the goan Catholics as Goēmcho Saib

St. Francis Xavier mingling with and converting people to Christianity

The techniques used to propagate his faith were~ reaching out to the sick and vulnerable by visiting hospitals. On realising that despite having churches, a bishop and clergy*, the Diocese still fell short of preachers~ so he went around the villages ringing a bell and calling upon children to attend catechism* as he means to strengthen their faith.

*Catechism~ a study to revive and reinforce the Christian doctrine, especially among children.

 

*Clergy~ priests and nuns are referred to as clergy.

The Goa Inquisition~ A Dark chapter in Goa History

Men created God so as to  take control of the imagination of the gullible ~ and then commit  untold Evil in the name of that preferred God~ Angelpathfinder quotes

Then came a dark chapter in the history of Portuguese ruled Goa. Read more..

 

By 1555, Evangelisation (ie Christian conversion) activities had become mainstream, and it was well-organized. Many more religious orders like the Franciscans etc arrived. These orders were allocated the task of conversion area wise. Churches, chapels, seminaries and convents were built rapidly all across Goa.

Meantime, there was a sliver of comfort as The Inquisition was halted briefly from 1774 to 1778. Thereafter, it was restarted until it saw its end in 1812. About 16,000 innocent people out of a miniscule population of 2,50,000 were subjected to the Inquisition.