Old Goa

This article is about the UNESCO World Heritage Site (and 2nd capital of Portuguese India). For the town in North Goa (and 1st capital of Portuguese India), see Goa Velha.

Old Goa Pornnem Goem, Adlem Gõi Velha Goa Rome of the Orient
City
1. Capilla de Santa Catalina. 2. Iglesia de São Francisco de Asís. 3. Sé Catedral de Santa Catarina. 4. Basílica do Bom Jesus. 5. Igreja de Nossa Senhora do Rosário. 6. Igreja de São Caetano. 1. Capilla de Santa Catalina. 2. Iglesia de São Francisco de Asís. 3. Sé Catedral de Santa Catarina. 4. Basílica do Bom Jesus. 5. Igreja de Nossa Senhora do Rosário. 6. Igreja de São Caetano.
Country	India
State	Goa
District	North Goa
Sub District	Ilhas
Established	1510
Founded by	Afonso Albuquerque
Named for	"Old Goa" in Portuguese
Government
• Type	Panchayat
• Sarpanch	Janita Pandurang Madkaikar
Area
• Total	4 km2 (2 sq mi)
Elevation	6 m (20 ft)
Population  (2011)
• Total	2,550
• Density	640/km2 (1,700/sq mi)
Languages
• Official	Konkani
• Also Spoken (understood)	English
• Historical	Portuguese
Religions
• Dominant	Christianity
• Minor	Hinduism
• Historical	Roman Catholicism
Time zone	UTC+5:30 (IST)
Postcode	403403
Telephone Code	0832

Old Goa (Konkani: Pornnem Goem, Adlem Gõi, Goeam) or Velha Goa (Velha means "old" in Portuguese) is a historical city in North Goa district in the Indian state of Goa. The city was constructed by the Bijapur Sultanate in the 15th century, and served as capital of Portuguese India from the 16th century until its abandonment in the 18th century due to a plague. It is said to have once been a city of nearly 200,000 where from, before the plague, the Portuguese traded across continents. The remains of the city are a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Old Goa is approximately 10 kilometres east of the state capital Panjim.

Etymology

Statue dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus erected opposite the Cathedral of the Archdiocese of Goa e Damão, on the occasion of 400 years of the establishment of the Archdiocese in 1957

The name Old Goa was first used in the 1960s in the address of the Konkani monthly magazine, dedicated to spread the devotion of the Sacred Heart, Dor Mhoineachi Rotti which was shifted to the Basilica of Bom Jesus in 1964. Postal letters were returned to the sender, as the name "Old Goa" was unknown then, according to then and long-time editor of the monthly, the great Goan historian late Padre Moreno de Souza, SJ.

The village panchayat uses the name Sé-Old Goa, while the post office, Archaeological Survey of India use the name Velha Goa.

The place is known as Saibachem Goem (referring to St. Francis Xavier as Saib i.e. Master), Pornnem Goem, Adlem Goem or just Goem in Konkani.

The name Velha Goa should not be confused with another former Goan capital Goa Velha, lying some villages away in the south. The names Vhoddlem Goem and Thorlem Goem refers to Goa Velha, while Goem besides referring to Velha Goa i.e. Old Goa also refers to the whole state of Goa in some contexts (Old Goa).

History

Churches and Convents of Goa

UNESCO World Heritage Site
Viceroy's Arch (Gateway to Old Goa)
Criteria	Cultural: ii, iv, vi
Reference	234
Inscription	1986 (10th Session)

Map of Velha Goa, at its height

The city was founded in the 15th century as a port on the banks of the Mandovi river by the rulers of the Bijapur Sultanate. The city was built to replace Govapuri, which lay a few kilometres to the south and had been used as a port by the Kadamba and Vijayanagar kings. Old Goa was the second capital after Bijapur of the rule of Adil Shahi Dynasty. It was surrounded by a moat and contained the shah's palace, and his mosques and temples. The city was captured by the Portuguese, and was under Portuguese rule from 1510 as the administrative seat of Portuguese India. The viceroy's residence was transferred in 1759 to the future capital, Panjim, at the time a village about 9 kilometres to its west.

During the mid-16th century, the Portuguese colony of Goa, especially Velha Goa, was the center of Christianisation in the East. The city was evangelised by all religious orders, since all of them had their headquarters there. The population was roughly 200,000 by 1543. Malaria and cholera epidemics ravaged the city in the 17th century and it was largely abandoned, only having a remaining population of 1,500 in 1775. It was then that the viceroy moved to Panjim. It continued to be the de jure capital of Goa until 1843, when the capital was then shifted to Panjim (Ponnjê in Konkani, Nova Goa in Portuguese and Panaji in Hindi). The abandoned city came to be known as "Velha Goa" (in Portuguese, 'Old Goa'), to distinguish it from the new capital Nova Goa (Panjim) and probably also Goa Velha (also meaning "Old Goa"), which was the Portuguese name for the town located on the old site of Govapuri.

Velha Goa was incorporated into the Republic of India in 1961, together with the rest of Goa.

Churches of Old Goa

Old Goa contains churches affiliated to various congregations, including the Se Cathedral (the seat of the Archbishop of Goa), the Church of St. Francis of Assisi, the Church of St. Caetano, and notably, the Basilica of Bom Jesus which contains the relics of Saint Francis Xavier, which is celebrated every year on 3 December with novenas beginning on 24 November.

• 
  Church of St. Francis of Assisi
• 
  Basilica of Bom Jesus.
• 
  Chapel of Saint Cathrine.
• 
  Church of Saint Cajetao in Old Goa.
• 
  Se Cathedral
• 
  Saint Anne's Church
• 
  Church of Saint Augustine (now in ruins)
• 
  Church of Lady of Rosary
• 
  Church of Our Lady of Mount
• 
  Church of Saint John of God
• 
  Royal Chapel of St. Anthony

See also

• Church of St. Anne, Talaulim
• Goa
• Portuguese India
• Cumbarjua

References

• de Mendonça, Délio (2002). Conversions and citizenry: Goa under Portugal 1510–1610. Concept Publishing Company. ISBN 978-81-7022-960-5. Retrieved 2011-12-05. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)
• Meersman, Achilles (1971). The ancient Franciscan provinces in India, 1500–1835. Christian Literature Society Press. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help).

External links

• History of Old Goa
• Old Goa