History
Construction began on 24 November 1594 and was consecrated in 1605. It holds the body of St. Francis Xavier in an alcove to the right of the main altar. It is dedicated to "Bom Jesus", meaning "Good Jesus" or "infant Jesus". It is one of the oldest chuches in India, the Portugese having taken control of Old Goa in 1510 from the forces of Ismail Adil Shah and his Ottoman allies. The building was owned by the Order of Jesuits until 1759, when all property owned by the Order was confiscated by the Portugese state. It became a minor Basilica in 1946.
Both the Basilica of Bom Jesus and the nearby Se Cathedral were under construction at the same time - however the Cathedral took far longer to build. Construction on it began in 1562, but it wasn't completed until 1619, some fourteen years after the Basilica was already consecrated. However, it was a further 21 years before the Cathedral itself was consecrated. Today, the Basilica and the Cathedral share a ceremony around once a decade where the body of St. Francis Xavier is taken from the Basilica and paraded to the Cathedral where it is put on display.
Geology
Both the Basilica and the Cathedral were built out of similar materials, and both were covered in lime plaster. The Cathedral still has it's plaster intact, but the Basilica's covering was removed during Portugese conservation efforts in 1950 and has never been replaced. There are a variety of different types of stone included in the construction of the building with black granite being used for detail work on the exterior fascade. Inside, basalt is used for the pillers and detail work. The stone was brought from Bassein, over 300 kilometers away from Old Goa. However, the majority of the exterior of the building was constructed out of laterite.
Laterite is formed from sedimentary rocks which have been leached. This type of rock is typically formed in areas of heavy rainfall and high temperature where the soil formation move minerial and organic elements from the top soil into the subsoil. The exact formation depends on the "parent" rocks, but typically laterite is formed of quartz, zircon, as well as oxides of titantium, iron, tin, aluminium and manganese.
When being prepared for construction use, laterite is a wet sub-water table soil which is cut into blocks using a spade or adapted tool. As it dries while the moisture particles evaporate, it hardens over time. These types of building materials are thought to have been introduced from the Indian subcontinent and are now seen in other structures in south Asia such as at Angkor Wat in Cambodia.
Requirements
In order to log this Earthcache, you must answer the following questions by emailing them to me.
- Observe the laterite used in the exterior of the Basilica. Describe what it looks like - what color are the grains and how big are they?
- Next to the Basilica on the same plaza is another building, also built out of laterite. However this still has the lime plaster intact. Describe if there are any elements of the laterite visible through the plaster and what purpose you think the plaster serves.
- (Optional) Post a picture of yourself (or your GPS) with the Basilica in the background.
"Found It" logs without answers being sent to me within a reasonable time will be deleted!
