“WE HAVE NOT ABANDONED THE OLD CHURCH”
By
DALE LUIS MENEZES
For many of us, the steep climb to the spring at Rivona and later the frolic at
the spring itself has always been a memorable experience, prompting everyone to
‘chill-out’ time and again. But every time we may have made a trip there, a
small church at the start of the climb to the spring may have gone unnoticed.
Even if it was indeed noted, at best it was just a perfunctory glance which
soon was forgotten. The church looks like a chapel owing to its size. A brief
visit to this church first and conversing with the parish priest, two days
later, revealed a great deal about the efforts of the villagers to preserve the
church and also the problems they are facing at present.
The Our Lady of Rosary Church was actually a chapel in the beginning. The
Archdiocese Directory of Goa and Daman, 2006 informs us that, “The chapel of
Rivona was built in 1890 and affiliated to the church of Tilamola [or Tilamol].
Rivona became a separate parish by the Provision of April 1, 1940. Since 1952
it has been entrusted to the pastoral care of the members of the Society of
Pilar.” Years later when the congregation grew in number, the old church became
inadequate. The present Our Lady of Rosary church, a kilometer or so away, was
opened to the faithful in 1962.
The old church fell to neglect. It was the desire of the parishioners to
preserve it as many had intimate memories of the church. Many parishioners
wanted to come and offer prayers as this was the place where they received
their holy sacraments. Their efforts bore fruits and in 2008, the church was
renovated. But will mere renovation guarantee that a church which is not
frequently used not fall prey to neglect again?
I put forth my fears before Fr. Aurelio Rodrigues. He assured me that once
every week a mass is celebrated in the church and during the Lenten season, the
cross which stands tall in the chancel area is taken in procession to the new
church and later brought back to its original place. “We have not abandoned the
old church,” Fr. Aurelio said.
Although the efforts of the parishioners of Rivona are laudable and the small
step that they have taken is definitely in the right direction, I do feel that
there are many areas that still can be improved upon.
A wooden balustrade in the unassuming church divides the chancel from the rest
of the body. In front of the main wooden altar lies the cross – the one which
is taken out in solemn procession every Lenten season. The efforts to restore
the wooden altar must be commended. But many improvements could have been made
over the simple varnish and paint job. Perhaps, the good offices of the
Archbishop could step in and along with experts ensure that proper and
scientific restoration of the wooden altar is done.
It is pertinent to note that the altar pieces in many of the Goan as well as
Daman churches are not a cut-copy-paste affair from Europe; they have been
enriched by native ingenuity and design and hence are very important entities
of our history. Though neglected in the past, these altars have caught the
attention of the scholars who now try to understand them in new and proper
historical perspectives.
The wooden pulpit has also undergone some form of restoration. But this has
been haphazard. Whatever artwork existed has been painted over with a coat of
pink distemper. The flooring of the church is well kept. A small porch at the
entrance seems to be a later addition and looks shabby. Some parts of the
façade too need to be repaired.
While visiting the church, I was accompanied by my father and another fellow
Quepemkar Ivor Gomes, whose innovative design to enlarge the nearby Quepem
church was featured in Gomantak Times as one of the “10 Ideas That Rocked” Goa
(GT: 28.12.2009). On our way back and over a cup of tea, we discussed the
heritage potential of the small church owing to its proximity to the famous
Rivona zhor (spring). It could well become a stopover that showcases the
history and culture of Rivonkars.
When questioned, Fr. Aurelio Rodrigues mentioned that there was space crunch to
build a compound wall around the church. But lack of space to build a compound
wall should not – ideally – come in the way to give the church a facelift. Fr.
Aurelio also cautioned, “The zhor is private property. Visitors dirty the place
by littering. If this continues, the owner may one day restrict access to the
spring.”
The architecture of churches in Goa does not in any way ape that of Portugal or
Europe. It has emerged from the interaction of (to use a cliché) the East and
the West. Native Goa and Europe and/or Middle East. Upon closer scrutiny, one
finds in these churches a distinct expression of its own which can assist
people to approach and interpret their own history and culture.
While commending the efforts of the priests of Rivona as well as the lay
parishioners for preserving their slice of history, it is my humble hope that
wisdom be showered on all of us so that anachronistic ways of looking at
architectural history may soon be history.
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http://daleluismenezes.blogspot.com/2011/07/we-have-not-abandoned-old-church.html
(A version of this article appeared on Gomantak Times, dt: July 12, 2011)
END OF ARTICLE
Find my writings @ www.daleluismenezes.blogspot.com
