>From what my Dad told me, Bom Jesus was originally whitewashed, >to "water-proof" the porous laterite during monsoons, as were all other >church-buildings.
This whitewash coating was removed from the cathedral before the 1952 exposition, according to my Dad, on a suggestion by some architect (who had no idea about the ferocity of the monsoons), presumably to display the beauty of the natural stone. Whereas this might be ok for bluestone (or basalt) as used in European church buildings, this is definitely not OK for Goa, and I wish someone with guts would "suggest" to the ASI to re-cover the edifice with "chuno" (not cement, as the cement tends to crack with heat/cold variations, whereas chuno is more tolerant to the variations in temperature), if the building is to survive another few centuries. Experienced architects please feel free to comment on my observations. Gabriel. ----- Original Message ---- From: JoeGoaUk <[email protected]> To: [email protected] Sent: Sunday, 26 April, 2009 6:45:38 AM Subject: [Goanet] Talking Photo: Nocturnal scene (5 churches in thebackground etc) Bom Jesus is visible? I Thought Basilica of Bom Jesus is the only church with original bricks colour and not white washed Enjoy a better web experience. Upgrade to the new Internet Explorer 8 optimised for Yahoo!7. Get it now.
