Rajan P. Parrikar sent the following about the N. S. Senhora de Monte.
http://www.parrikar.com/blog/2010/03/26/mary-mount-chapel-then-and-now Here are a couple of comments. 1] This Capela de Monte is the place where a superb music and dance festival is held every year - the Monte Music Festival. Organised by Fundacao Oriente, who incidentally were responsible for restoring this chapel, it is something not to be missed. A fusion of classical music or dance from India and the West is the theme behind the festival. Also the organisers keep slots for talent from Goa besides inviting reknowned performers from other parts of India and Western (usually Portuguese) performers. So one could have a performance of Kathak along with a piano recital; or a symphony orchestra with a Carnatic classical music performance followed by a fusion of Western and Indian classical music. Usually the performances are held at three arenas: one is on the left side of the chapel, which has a panoramic view of Old Goa and the islands of Divar and Chorao with the Mandovi River flowing between. The scenery there is mesmerising because a performance is held at the time when the sun is about to set. The effects as the lights change from evening to night are really a feast for the senses. The second is at an amphitheatre like setting at the back of the chapel. That too is very interesting as the feel is of sitting in a Colosseum in Rome. And the last is inside the chapel itself where the acoustics (without any sound system) are - even to my untrained ear - just perfect. BTW Fundacao Oriente is the target of periodic attacks by various groups for various reasons. Whether these are justified or not, I must say I really appreciate their restoration efforts in Goa. Besides the N. S. Capela de Monte, they also restored the Saptakoteshwar temple in Narvem and the Customs House in Panjim. They are models of what should be done. I feel very sad when I see old good looking structures being torn down to be replaced by concrete monstrosities. 2] I think Rajan should check the following comment. " When Afonso de Albuquerque first tried to claim *Goa* in 1510, his men encountered fierce resistance from Adil Shah’s forces from their vantage point atop a hillock in *Old Goa*. Stunned by the intensity of the opposition Albuquerque was forced to retreat. But he was to return in a few months and dislodge Adil Shah. Albuquerque did not forget the high ground from where he had been barraged. After his triumph, he destroyed the Hindu temple on the hillock and in its stead commissioned the construction of a shrine dedicated to Mary, today known as the *Chapel of Our Lady of the Mount*." If I am not mistaken (and I could be, as I am saying this from memory as I don't have the books here at home) the comments should more or less apply to a Church or Chapel of Saint Catherine that is next to Santa Monica convent. Also I would check this story about a Hindu temple being destroyed as I would have thought that Old Goa of those days was a place much dominated by Muslims who were the rulers then. At any rate, I haven't heard the story before. Cheers Augusto -- Augusto Pinto 40, Novo Portugal, Moira, Bardez, Goa, India E [email protected] or [email protected] P 0832-2470336 M 9881126350
