Igreja da Nossa Senhora da Divina Providência e Convento de São Caetano
The Igreja da Nossa Senhora da Divina Providência e Convento de São Caetano , in German Church of Our Lady of Divine Providence and Monastery of Saint Kajetan, is a Roman Catholic church and former Theatine monastery in the Indian city of Velha Goa . The complex, built in its current form in 1672, has been part of the UNESCO World Heritage Ensemble " Churches and Monasteries of Goa " (see World Heritage in India ). The church is considered a smaller copy of the Roman St. Peter's Basilica .
history
Arrival of the Theatin Order in Goa
In 1639 Pope Urban VIII sent a group of the Theatine Order on a missionary trip to India. After the religious group first arrived in Golkonda in the sultanate of the same name, they were forbidden to settle there. For this reason the group moved on to Goa, which at that time was already under Portuguese rule. After a few moves, the religious groups established themselves in some houses that belonged to the Santa Casa de Misericórdia and built a hospice according to the religious tradition.
João da Silva Telo e Meneses , Portuguese Vice-King of India, refused to keep the foreign religious group sent by the Pope on Portuguese territory and intimidated them in 1643 to stop the construction of the hospice. After the Portuguese King João IV found out about this, he ordered that the Theatines had to leave Goa. Thereupon Pedro de Avitabili , head of the Order of Theatin , intervened at the Portuguese throne and obtained approval for the construction of the hospice and the general activity of the Order in Goa - on the condition that the Theatines in Goa bind themselves to the Portuguese patronage ( Padroado Português ) .
Construction of the church and the monastery
After the Theatiner Order was able to work legally in Goa, they began to make efforts to build their own church and a monastery in the Portuguese colony. The order received permission to build it in 1655, construction work for the complex with church and monastery began in 1656 and was completed in 1672. The two Italian architects and members of the Theatine Order, Carlo Ferrarini and Francesco Maria Milazzo , designed the complex in the shape of a Greek cross , Manuel Pereira supervised the construction as master builder. The order built it south of the former fortress palace ( Palácio da Fortaleza ) near the (gate) arch of the vice kings ( Arco dos Vice-Reis ).
Ferrarini and Milazzo gave the monastery church a representative facade, which is considered a copy of the Vatican St. Peter's Basilica "in small". In the interior, the two architects are said to have oriented themselves towards the Basilica della Madonna della Ghiara in Reggio-Emilia .
Later development
When all Christian orders were banned in 1835, the complex went to the Portuguese state, which initially converted it into a residence. Later, from 1896, the Museum for Portuguese India ( Museu da Índia Portuguesa, today in the government palace in Panjim ) and the Viceroys' picture gallery ( Galeria de Retratos de Vice-Reis , today in the monastery church of São Francisco ) resided there . In the meantime there was also an exhibition for religious art in the rooms. Today the Pius X Institute, a Catholic seminary, is located in the building.
In 1986 UNESCO named the monastery and the monastery church as part of the “Monasteries and Churches of Goa” ensemble as a World Heritage Site . The cathedral is registered with the number 11436 in the Portuguese monuments database Sistema de Informação para o Património Arquitectónico , which also includes monuments to former Portuguese colonies. The cathedral is registered with the number N-GA-3 in the database of the Archaeological Survey of India .
architecture
Outside
The facade of the monastery church is said to be a copy of the facade of St. Peter's Basilica designed by Carlo Maderno . The facade consists of limed laterite and is characterized by large columns and pilasters according to the Corinthian order , which frame the windows and doors. The facade is also characterized by a series of round windows (on the first floor) and several large, rectangular windows with balustrades (on the second floor). At the top, the facade is closed by two bell towers, with a small dome in the middle.
The church has a unique architecture in Goa and completely contradicts the typical Portuguese church style in the colony. In particular, the floor plan of the Greek cross, the dome as such, the semicircular shape of the apse , the seven (instead of five) columns of the facade, and other details are prominent.
inner space
The church has the plan of a Greek cross with the dome of the church in the center. The interior is characterized by three naves, the left and right aisles each have three small chapels. Between the dome and the nave there is a middle-high gallery that highlights the Greek cross of the church.
The Tiburio has four ornamental arches on which there is a drum with large windows and a vaulted roof, in the tradition of the Italian Renaissance. In the curve of the dome is the Latin inscription Quaerite primum regnum Dei et haec omnia adjicientur vobis (Matthew 33,6 , translated into German: “Seek first the kingdom of God, then everything will fall to you”).
The altar of the church is dedicated to the Lady of Divine Providence ( Nossa Senhora da Divina Providência ), who is considered the patron saint of the Theatin order. At the foot of the statue of the Virgin Mary there is a chalice with a host and the inscription Comedite panem et bibite vinum quod miscui vobis (Book of Proverbs 9,5, translated into German "Come, eat my bread and drink the wine I give") .
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c d e f António Nunes Pereira: Igreja de Nossa Senhora da Divina Providência. In: Património de Influência Portuguesa (HPIP). Fundação Calouste Gulbenkian, March 20, 2013, accessed November 8, 2017 (Portuguese).
- ^ A b Sofia Diniz: Convento dos Teatinos / Igreja de São Caetano / Igreja de Nossa Senhora da Divina Providência. In: Sistema de Informação para o Património Arquitectónico. 2002, accessed November 8, 2017 (Portuguese).
Coordinates: 15 ° 30 ′ 20.4 ″ N , 73 ° 54 ′ 54 ″ E