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Goa
church accused of tampering with heritage complex
Saturday February 12, 2011 11:18:56 AM,
Mayabhushan Nagvenkar, IANS
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Panaji:
It houses the remains of Spanish missionary St Francis Xavier and
attracts lakhs of tourists and the faithful. But the 16th century
Old Goa Church complex is at the centre of a war of words between
the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) and the church
authorities over allegations of irregularities and vandalism.
A senior ASI official has accused the church in Goa of tampering
with protected structures housed in the Old Goa Church complex, a
Unesco-recognised world heritage site. The ASI official has also
blamed the state chief secretary of not acting against the
vandalism committed by a priest and a mob that ransacked their
premises Jan 24 despite complaints.
Superintending archaeologist D. Shivanandan V., head of the ASI in
Goa, said the church authorities here had committed so many
irregularities at the Old Goa Church complex located around 15 km
from Panaji, which is maintained by the ASI.
A mob of 150 people led by a priest had Jan 24 barged into the
ASI's horticulture office located within the precincts of the
historic church complex and asked for the premises to be vacated.
Local parishioners and priests had, on the other hand, alleged
that the ASI office space was encroaching on church property.
"When the church has done so many irregularities...they broke
walls, made parking spaces. They have also erased many structures,
despite notices by the ASI. When they are morally wrong, they
cannot criticise the ASI," Shivanandan said days after the
incident.
Shivanandan said the ASI office had existed for nearly 30 years
and there was no question of encroachment.
"We have had the horticulture office for over 30 years now. The
crowd was instigated by church authorities (to trespass into the
ASI office). It will not be appreciated," Shivanandan said.
The ASI official also accused the state government of not acting
on a criminal complaint filed by the agency with police.
"My DG (director general) wrote to the chief secretary, asking him
to act in order to ensure that such incidents do not happen in the
future...the state government is not doing anything," Shivanandan
said.
Repeated efforts for comments from the church authorities were of
no avail.
However, the rector of the Bom Jesus Basilica Fr Savio Baretto in
a recent interview to a local newspaper accused the ASI of
violating it own norms.
"These are parish priests' quarters but now the ASI has illegally
occupied them and carried out renovation in violation of their own
norms, including driving nails in the wall," Baretto had said.
Officials at the Old Goa police station confirmed that a complaint
had been registered by the ASI about vandalism in their office
premises and they were investigating the same.
Built as a formidable city by the Bijapur sultanate, before the
advent of the Portuguese, the Old Goa Church complex houses the
sacred remains of St Francis Xavier.
The three main churches in the complex, namely, the Se Cathedral,
Church of St Francis of Assisi and the Basilico of Bom Jesus,
which houses the remains of St. Francis Xavier, are major places
of worship.
(Mayabhushan
Nagvenkar can be contacted at mayabhushan.n@ians.in)
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