Delayed in circulation, but interesting. FN ---------- Forwarded message ----------
ID4468.1248 August 4, 2003 36 EM-lines (422 words) INDIA Late Artist Leaves Lasting Legacy In Churches Throughout Goa PANAJI, India (UCAN) -- Priests in Goa say a recently-deceased artist who spent most of his life restoring church interiors left "a legacy" in almost all Catholic churches in the former Portuguese colony. Fenelon S. D'Souza, who died July 25 in Goa at the age of 98, was the "doyen of gold craft on church altars," says Father Edwarde D'Souza, parish priest of St. Anthony's Church. With his death, the Church in Goa "has lost a dependable, devoted and committed artist serving the Lord," the priest told UCA News. The late artist spent 80 years of his life restoring the ornate interiors of Portuguese-built churches and altars in Goa, a Portugese colony from 1510 until 1961, and in other western Indian states. His work involved a "secret" technique of applying a chemical mixture to surfaces 36 hours before applying gold foil so that the gold would last. The restoration artist began working at the age of 13 after picking up the rudiments of the specialized trade from his uncle, and he continued this work for 79 years until he retired in 1997. Father Savio D'Souza, another priest of the Archdiocese of Goa and Daman, recalled that the artist charged minimum fees for his work. "He knew exactly what had to be done, how long it would take. He was honest to the core. He leaves a legacy in almost all churches of Goa," the priest added. Father Almir D'Souza, another parish priest, told UCA News the late artist was "committed" to Church art. Pope John Paul II gave Fenelon D'Souza a gold medal after he restored an antique chair for the pope's use during the papal visit to New Delhi in November 1999. A federal conservation agency reportedly had first asked other experts to refurbish the gilded chair. John D'Souza, the artist's son, said "the work done by them was so terrible" that Church authorities were forced to approach his father for help. "Eventually, we had to scrape the gold (off) totally and apply it afresh. We did it in three days and nights," the son, 67, told UCAN July 27. He said the "family secret" of gold application on altars won wide acclamation because of its ability to ward off attack by termites. He added that despite several lucrative international offers, his father resisted the monetary lure "because it has been my father's ambition to do many churches before his death." This dream, he said, led his father to set up a firm specializing in the restoration of statues and altars. END http://www.ucanews.com/search/show.php?q=Goa&file=archives/english/2003/08/w2/mon/ID4468Rg.txt ########################################################################## # Send submissions for Goanet to [EMAIL PROTECTED] # # PLEASE remember to stay on-topic (related to Goa), and avoid top-posts # # More details on Goanet at http://joingoanet.shorturl.com/ # # Please keep your discussion/tone polite, to reflect respect to others # ##########################################################################
