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THE ARRIVAL OF THE FRANCISCAN OBSERVANTS PRIESTS IN BARDEZ The coming of the Franciscan Observant Priests in Bardez around 1555, led them in search for new conversions to the fold of Christianity and so having gained sufficient ground in Reis Magos( Verem) and Candolim, they next glanced at Nagoa de Bardez. In this village they set their foot in 1560 and began evangelizing in the neighbhouring villages of Oxel, Siolim, Anjuna-Assagao, Parra and Saligao. At that time the Rectorateor Parish of Nagoa with the above mentioned villages formed an extensive parish in the whole of Bardez. Subsequently the following villages became independent parishes, Siolim in 1568, Anjuna in 1603, Parra in 1649 and Oxel in 1661.Assagao was an affiliated part of the parish of Anjuna which had a chapel. It was built in 1775 and it became a Parish Church in 1813. Finally Saligao was dismembered from the parish of Nagoa and became a parish on 26-11-1873, the neo-gothic Church being built by the Comunidade de Saligao. Nagoa has Arpora an independent communidade, with part of Baga annexed to it at the moment.. Frei Paulo da Trindade O.F.M( 1570-1651)who wrote about the History of Franciscans in India, gives the following description of the Rectorate of Nagoa : ‘Opposite( Calangute) we have a church of the Blessed Trinity which was the first Church we founded after the one of the Magi. For this reason there are many Christians there: 3357 who go to Confession, 100 Communicants and 837 children. Four villages( a number had developed into parishes by the time Paulo de Trindade composed his chronicle) are under its jurisdiction: Nagoa, where the church was constructed, Parra, Arpora and Saligao, which is one of the principal villages and very large, entirely inhabited by Brahmins, who have all been converted so that very few or hardly any pagan(sic) are left.’.( Vide, Meersman, Fr. Achilles, O.F.M. ‘ The Ancient Franciscan Provinces In India, 1971, Bangalore, p.107). The great goan Church historian, the late Msgr. Canon Francisco Xavier Gomes Catao states that by 1636 the whole village of Saligao was Christianised. Those hindus who did not want to convert fled from the village of Salgaum with their deities and fixed themselves in Salgao-vaddo, Advalpale, in the XVI century ( Vide, Souvenir of Mãe de Deus, 1873-1973, as well as the Official Gazette, 3rd November, 1966,Panjim, Goa, p. 1). Fr. Nascimento Mascarenhas. Vasco da Gama 28-06-2004. |
