Basílica do Bom Jesus
The Basílica do Bom Jesus ( Portuguese ) or Borea Jezuchi Bajilika ( Konkani ), Basilica of the Good Jesus , is a minor basilica in the Indian city of Velha Goa . The former Jesuit Church was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1986 and is part of the architectural ensemble of the Churches and Monasteries of Goa . The final resting place of St. Francis Xavier is in the basilica .
Bom Jesus is the Portuguese name for the representation of the Man of Sorrows . The Jesuit Church is India's first minor basilica and is considered one of the best examples of Baroque architecture in India. It is one of the Seven Wonders of Portuguese Origin .
history
Construction work on the basilica began on November 24, 1594 on behalf of the Portuguese governor of Cochin and Hormuz , Jerónimo de Mascarenhas . It was completed on May 15, 1605 and consecrated by the Archbishop of Goa Aleixo de Menezes . The construction of the church was carried out by Júlio Simão (1565–1641), the chief architect of Philip II for the Indian colonies, and Domingos Fernandes .
The basilica is an important place in the history of Christianity. St. Francis Xavier , along with St. Ignatius of Loyola, is considered the founder of the Society of Jesus, the Jesuits , and a pioneer of the mission to Asia. Franz Xavier died on December 3, 1552 on the island of Sancian on the way to China. His relics were transferred to the basilica two years later.
The basilica is one of the oldest churches in Goa and all of India. The mausoleum, on the top of which is the silver reliquary with the bones of Franz Xaver, was a gift from Cosimo III. , the Grand Duke of Tuscany. The mausoleum was built in the 17th century by the Florentine sculptor Giovanni Battista Foggini .
The church received the honorary title " Basilica minor " in 1946.
In 1986, UNESCO classified the church as part of the “Monasteries and Churches of Goa” ensemble as a World Heritage Site . The cathedral is registered with the number 11435 in the Portuguese monument database Sistema de Informação para o Património Arquitectónico , which also includes monuments to former Portuguese colonies. In the database of the Archaeological Survey of India the church is registered with the number N-GA-1.
architecture
The Basilica do Bom Jesus measures about 56 meters in length, 17 meters in width and 18.5 meters in height. It was built from red laterite stone as a hall church with a transept. The main altar is about 16.5 meters long and 9 meters wide. The pillars and ornaments of the church are carved from basalt . The floor-by-floor sequence of Ionic , Doric and Corinthian column order corresponds to classical architecture.
The ground floor of the Basilica do Bom Jesus has three portals. The first floor has three large rectangular windows, while the front of the second has three round windows. Above, a stone relief of the IHS emblem adorns the facade, which is lifted up by angels. The church has two chapels, a main altar, a sacristy and a choir. Although the Basilica do Bom Jesus is decorated with a marble floor and precious stones, the interior appears simple, with the exception of the richly ornamented gilded altars.
The altar of St. Anthony of Padua is located under the choir. On the left side of the altar there is a carved wooden statue of St. Francis Xavier. The church also contains a cenotaph of Jerónimo Mascarenhas, considered a benefactor and generous donor of the church. The memorial is located in the center of the nave on the north wall. Opposite the Mascarenhas memorial on the south wall is a carved wooden pulpit with a canopy . On the three sides of the pulpit are pictures of Jesus, the four evangelists and four doctors of the church . The evangelists are represented with their symbols , the winged being, the lion, the bull and the eagle. The pulpit is carried by seven carved men.
The relics of St. Francis Xavier are in a silver reliquary and are freely accessible to the public. Every ten years there is a solemn exposure of the relics in the weeks around the feast day of St. Francis Xavier, most recently in 2014. The exposure lasts 40 days. Several million believers make a pilgrimage to the basilica on this occasion.
Web links
- Site of the basilica
- Entry on the UNESCO World Heritage Center website ( English and French ).
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c d António Nunes Pereira: Igreja e Casa Professa do Bom Jesus. In: Património de Influência Portuguesa (HPIP). Fundação Calouste Gulbenkian, July 30, 2013, accessed November 1, 2017 (Portuguese).
- ^ Sofia Diniz, Filipa Avellar: Igreja do Bom Jesus / Basílica e Casa Professa do Bom Jesus. In: Sistema de Informação para o Património Arquitectónico. 2006, accessed November 1, 2017 (Portuguese).
Coordinates: 15 ° 30 ′ 3.3 " N , 73 ° 54 ′ 41.7" E